Soul Hunter (Original)
by SkywalkerT-65
Summary: When Ruby Rose went to Beacon Academy two years early, she had assumed she was going to be the odd one out. Her sister, the Ice Queen Heiress and the mysterious dark-haired girl aside. What she didn't expect, what none of them expected, was that an even more mysterious teenager would join them. One with a power no other Hunter or Huntress has...and one that just may turn the tide..
1. Welcome to Beacon

**AN: Not sure I really have the time to be starting a new fic, but hey, the muse can be fickle at times. I didn't even know RWBY existed until recently, but now that I _do_...it's practically begging for a Bleach crossover. Hence, this fic. It's also a way to keep me writing when I'm plotting the sequels for my existing stories (CoF and Angel are both winding down).  
**

**The premise is going to be fairly similar to most others...namely Ichigo. _But_, I've made it a point of changing things up to make this one unique. You'll see what I mean.**

**Now, let's see how this goes.**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

Brilliant sunlight shone down on Vale, the capital of the Kingdom that shared its name. One of Four Kingdoms of Remnant, Vale was perhaps the most peaceful of the Kingdoms. Were one to look at the city, they would see a calm and sleepy city, where conflict was a distant memory. There was crime, most notably a recent rash of Dust thefts. But these crimes were ordinarily petty at best, not something that would lead to worry that would affect most of the people of Vale. Even the worry of all humanity in Remnant, the fearsome creatures that lived outside the walls of the Kingdoms, was not a worry in Vale. The dark and terrifying Grimm, horribly mutant animals that existed for no purpose beyond killing Man, were the bane of all those who lived outside the Kingdoms.

But in Vale, they were no threat to the happy citizens for one reason. The skilled Hunters and Huntresses of Vale, the best warriors the Kingdom- and some would argue, Mankind -could offer. Trained at Beacon Academy, arguably the most famous Academy in the world, these warriors had to be as good as they were. Fighting the Grimm was not something done with a faint heart. The monsters were easily capable of killing the majority of humanity, those who had never trained to fight them. This was why the Hunters and Huntresses existed...this was why Beacon existed.

And today, as the sun over Vale was eclipsed by a massive airship, was the day the new students of Beacon arrived at the Academy. This airship belonged to the academy, and was used to transport the new students to their new home. Unsurprisingly, said students were spending the time mingling with the classmates they would be sharing the year with. Two though, already knew each other.

"Oh I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

"Please...stop..."

"But I'm so proud of you!"

The pair of girls, sisters in fact, stood apart from anyone else. One was blonde, her long hair doing more to conceal her...generous...figure than her clothing. Her sister was the polar opposite, and would make one question if the two were truly related. Her short black-red hair was nothing like her sister's generous blonde locks. And her black dress, while short, was far more conservative- especially taking into the account the red cloak she also wore.

"I just want to be normal..." the shorter sister muttered, a slight tone of dejection to her voice.

"But you _are_ special, Ruby," the blonde said, wrapping her arm around her sister and giving a short squeeze.

"Thanks Yang," Ruby said, leaning slightly into the hug.

"It's what I'm here for sis!"

Smiling at the way her sister was back to normal, Yang turned away and had her attention drawn to a news broadcast. An orange haired man was on the window, with a name beneath it...Roman Torchwick. She didn't really recognize him, not the name. But she did remember what her sister had told her, when she came home unusually late.

"_That's_ the guy you beat up sis?" Yang asked, an eyebrow going up.

Ruby's pale face flushed, "I didn't beat _him_ up...it was his guards, actually. They weren't that good!"

"Or you're just too good of a fighter."

The pale face went even redder, eliciting a chuckle from the elder sister. Ruby merely elbowed her in the side, doing nothing to lessen Yang's grin. Huffing slightly, Ruby turned away from her sister and watched as the news was replaced with a severe looking woman. One whom she seemed to recognize, as the widening of her silver eyes indicated.

_Wonder who that is?_

"Who's that?" Yang asked out loud, before the look of the woman reminded her of something, "Isn't she the one who helped you out?"

"_My name is Glynda_ _Goodwitch."_

"Oh. You didn't mention her name sis."

"_You are among a privileged few who received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future hunters and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you the knowledge and training to protect our world."  
_

As Goodwitch's image vanished, Ruby looked at her sister, "I didn't know her name."

"Yeah, she doesn't seem the friendly type."

Ruby giggled, before her silver eyes widened. Now that there was nothing, not even clouds, obscuring the windows of the airship, she could properly see outside. The girl's face showed wonder, as she looked down on Vale far below. She hadn't ever been this high before, and seeing the city stretching into the distance was quite the experience for her. Yang hadn't either, but as she walked next to Ruby, she didn't have quite the same level of awe on her face. More an amused smile, as she planted a hand on her sister's shoulder. Ruby never changed...

"We're so high up!" the younger sister crooned, "I can see Signal from here!"

After saying that though, Ruby's excitable voice did trail off somewhat. Yang noticed the change in mood, and squeezed her sister's shoulder. She always was emotional...cheerful most of the time, but if she got subdued...well, after years of practically raising her, she knew her sister well. And knew just as well that all she had to do was squeeze Ruby's shoulder. She preferred that to more vocal methods.

_Can't take praise, this girl..._

Ignoring that thought for the moment, Yang refocused on what Ruby was doing.

"I guess home isn't that far after all..."

Smiling comfortingly, Yang shook her head- well aware Ruby couldn't see it, "No, Beacon's our home now."

Sharing a moment of quiet, the two sisters looked out at their homes, old and new in the distance. A moment that lasted all of a few seconds before several things happened.

A teenage boy, scraggly blonde hair covering his pale face, held a hand to his mouth and stumbled away from the window. He heaved, clearly attempting to hold in vomit. Unfortunately, his rush to get away from the window managed to knock another teenager out of his way. This boy promptly stumbled into Yang, who lost her grip on Ruby...and managed to send her sister falling to the ground.

"Oof!" Ruby complained, falling to the ground.

For her part, Yang grunted, "Hey, watch it!"

Instead of acknowledging that shout, Yang saw the teen scoff, before sticking his hand out to help her sister up. Of course the scowl seemingly welded onto the other teen's face wasn't doing him any favors. He looked standoffish at best, something not helped by his brilliantly orange- far brighter than Torchwick's more subdued shade-mop of spiky hair. It was an odd combination, especially with the hand he was reaching out. Not to mention the odd black robe he was wearing. Yang had never seen an outfit quite like it...black all over, aside from a white belt and what looked like a white undershirt. And then there were the _wooden sandals_ of some sort. That couldn't be comfortable.

Jerky looking or not, at least he was gentlemanly enough to offer a hand to her sister.

Of course, Ruby was a bit...awkward...when it came to new people.

"Yo, you okay?" the teen finally asked, his voice as deep as one would expect.

Ruby shook her head rapidly, "Oh I'm fine! I just couldn't keep my balance, it was totally my fault and...umm...heh...heh...your hair is really orange."

An orange brow went up, "Yes? And it's natural, before you get any ideas. I get enough of that crap already."

_Natural? That's a new one._

"Can't say I've ever seen such sunny hair before," Yang spoke up, eliciting a groan from Ruby.

"Yaaaannnggg!"

"What?! That was a perfectly valid pun."

Electing to ignore the 'boo' in the background, the blonde instead turned to the teen. Who, scowl or no scowl, looked like he was holding in a laugh. Raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge, Yang got him to stop. Instead, his scowl deepened- if that was even _possible_ on a human face -and he turned his head slightly. Sighing, the teen coughed softly.

"Look, I'm sorry I bumped into you. Won't happen again," he finally said, still looking off into the distance.

"I'm not angry," Yang replied, making Ruby blink...her sister's temper was as bad as her protective instinct, "just curious. I've never seen you before...you can't be from Signal."

"That's because my old man trained me personally. Never been to a formal school, not since I was a kid."

"If you got into Beacon with self-training, your dad must've been a pretty famous Hunter. So, who was he?" the blonde asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

The teen scowled again, "Not a Hunter."

Yang _and_ Ruby blinked at that. Not even a professional soldier, the only other option that seemed likely, could train someone _on their own_ to get said someone into an academy like Beacon. So how did this guy's father, apparently not a Hunter, do that? Not to mention the fact that the boy was well-built, and clearly experienced. Nothing like Vomit Boy earlier, who had looked fairly average. And no, she wasn't checking him out...though now that she looked...

_Okay, check out cute guy later. Figure out who cute guy is first._

"Okkkayyy..." Yang said dubiously, "Well, I'm Yang and this is Ruby. What's your name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the teen, Ichigo, replied.

"Yep, never heard of you."

Continuing to surprise the sister's, the scowl actually got _lighter_. Like he was relieved that Yang hadn't heard of him before. Which was certainly odd, especially if his family wasn't some famous group of Hunters.

"Doesn't surprise me," Ichigo just shrugged, "the old man's a doctor these days, so it's not like we're out hunting H...Grimm these days."

Ruby just had a disappointed look, perhaps hoping to get some awesome story out of the other teen. Yang by contrast, narrowed her lilac eyes slightly. She had caught the slip-up, but didn't know what it meant. She had only ever heard Grimm called, well, Grimm. Nothing that started with an 'H'. If he had meant humans...well, this guy wasn't getting within a mile of her sister ever again. _No one_ hurt Ruby and got away with it. Luckily for Ichigo, he seemed to realize the anger that Yang was currently suppressing. She could give him that much at least...he was observant, if nothing else.

"I say something?"

"Well, you just almost called a Grimm something starting with an H...I think I should be worried your family hunt humans or something," Yang replied, her eyes flickering red for a split-second, as her gauntlets flashed sunlight.

"Yang! He didn't mean that! Right? Right?" Ruby protested.

Ichigo just held a hand up, "Relax will you? My father calls Grimm 'Hollows' sometimes. I just slipped up since I'm not at home. I'd personally hunt down and kick the ass of anyone who hurt humans for no reason. Or Faunus for that matter. Jerks like that bug the hell out of me."

Not one of the little group noticed a pair of amber eyes widen nearby at the end of that sentence. Yang just relaxed, and Ruby let out a sigh of relief at the sight. Her sister noticed that, and was tempted to sigh in frustration herself. Ruby, fighter that she was, hated human conflict. Or at least, she hated conflict that couldn't be solved by hitting it over the head with her weapon. Yang could understand- she wasn't exactly the best herself, and _did_ happen to enjoy knocking sense into idiots. But she was better at conversations and personal relationships too.

And, for now, she could just get to know this new guy. He seemed nice enough, scowl aside. That didn't mean she wasn't going to want to know why his father would call a Grimm 'Hollow' though. Neither her father or uncle, both of whom were very experienced Hunters, had ever mentioned the name.

"Well in that case, it's nice to meet you," she stuck her hand out.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Ichigo replied, shaking the offered hand.

Ruby grinned beside her sister, glad the situation was defused. Yang knew that when she was around it made her a little more comfortable around the new guy. If the older girl hadn't been there...well, she probably wouldn't have even felt comfortable talking to Ichigo. Well, there was a way to solve that problem...but it would wait until they reached Beacon. Since they hadn't quite arrived yet, she waited for Ruby to at least _try_ to strike up a conversation. Which she finally did.

"Why are you coming to Beacon?"

"Huh?"

Not that the question got quite the reaction either sister was hoping for.

"If your father trained you, why are you coming here?" Ruby explained, patting the weapon mounted on the small of her back, "My uncle taught me how to use Crescent Rose! But I still have to learn things."

"There's your reason," the orangehead shrugged.

"Wha?"

Ichigo sighed, though it was more a 'what am I going to do' than an annoyed sigh, "I can only learn so much from the old man. If I'm going to be a Hunter- I ain't doctor material -I need to learn more. Hence, Beacon."

"Hmm..." Yang mused, "Makes sense. Well, it'll be interesting to see how you fight!"

The eagerness in her voice got another raised eyebrow out of the male teen. Yang just grinned cockily, her hands twitching slightly. She enjoyed a good fight, perhaps too much. And whatever else he was, Ichigo looked like a good...fighter...

_We've got there already?_ Yang thought, as she felt a shudder go through the airship.

Turning her head, she did indeed see that the airship had landed at Beacon. Lights came on, directing the new students towards the disembarkation points. Time to figure out how the year would go...

* * *

**Ruby Rose  
**

* * *

As she disembarked from the airship with her sister- and Ichigo Kurosaki who seemed to be sticking around, in his own words, because he had no idea where to go -Ruby's eyes widened. She was still jittery and nervous about Beacon. Yang's comforting words aside, she was not looking forward to seeing how people would react to the 'kid who got in early'. The girl had been serious when she said she didn't want to be seen as special. The attention was nice in its own way, but Ruby didn't want people thinking she had done anything to cheat her way in. She wanted to be treated like anyone else.

Yet, while that worry didn't vanish, it was eclipsed by awe.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this," Yang spoke up.

"I'll admit, it's a lot more impressive up close," Ichigo agreed.

Ruby just nodded numbly, before something else served to distract her from the view of the impressive academy. Namely, the new students walking towards it. Now, where her sister would look at the- male -students with a perverse stare, Ruby wasn't interested in the bodies. She was interested in what was hanging _off_ the bodies. Namely...

"Sis! Look!" she gushed, "That's guy's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!"

The girl's fangirling over the weapons was cut short as Yang reached out with a sigh and grabbed hold of her hood though. Ruby complained, as she was dragged back to her sister and the taller boy, who was currently sighing with an exasperated look on his face.

"Ow...ow...owwww..."

Yang just sighed, "Easy there little sister. They're just weapons."

Putting her hands on her hips, Ruby couldn't believe her ears, "'_Just weapons_?' How can you say that sis! They're extensions of ourselves! A part of us, not to mention so cool!"

"Why not swoon over your own weapon then?" the elder sister dryly suggested, as neither sister noticed Ichigo shuffling uncomfortably in the background.

The sound of clanking came from Ruby, as she unfolded her custom built weapon. She was very proud of Crescent Rose...her uncle had said it was one of the best Scythes he had ever seen. And she had designed and built it all on her own! But that being said...as much as she loved her own weapon, being able to see other weapons was something she didn't often do. Signal hadn't had new weapons for some time, and seeing more professionally built ones from the Beacon students was a new experience.

Not to mention...it was cool!

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose," Ruby replied, cuddling her scythe, "I just like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people...but better."

Yang clicked her tongue, as she pulled her sister's hood down, "Ruby, come on. Why don't you make some new friends on your own?"

Ruby pulled her hood down, and smiled shyly at her sister. She knew Yang was trying to be nice, but why did she need new friends?

"Why would I need friends when I have you?"

"Actually..." the blonde replied, "I have to catch up with my own friends. See you later!"

Before the younger sister even knew what was happening, Yang had rushed past her with a gaggle of her friends. Ruby blinked and spun around, thrown off balance by the sudden departure of the one person she actually knew here at Beacon. Struggling to stay on her feet, she felt her heart rapidly sinking. Yang had just thrown her to the proverbial wolves, and she couldn't even use Crescent Rose on these ones! It would have been easier to be thrown in an actual pack of wolves!

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ruby complained, her head spinning, "Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Do we even _have_ dorms?"

Feeling her feet slipping, the teen almost fell to the ground. She _would_ have, if Ichigo hadn't caught her arm and yanked her to her feet, actually.

"You okay there?"

"I...no..." Ruby replied, "Yang _knows_ I'm not good with people, and she just runs off like that?"

Ichigo just shrugged, "You seem perfectly fine to me. If anyone isn't good with people, it's me. Most people assume I'm a thug because of the hair, and I have to beat them senseless."

"I can't imagine why."

The new female voice interrupted the conversation before Ruby could say anything. Both teens looked behind them, and saw another young girl standing behind them. Barely the same height as Ruby- if not shorter, considering her heels -she had pure white hair, and an equally silver dress. Her face bore a haughty expression that had the other girl on edge though...Ruby wasn't exactly one to like arrogant people. They tended to yell at her.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, getting a betrayed look from his companion.

Flicking her ponytail behind her head, the other girl scoffed, "You don't know who I am?"

"Nope."

"Umm...no..."

"She's Weiss Schnee," yet _another_ female voice spoke up.

Ichigo seemed more bemused than anything as he turned his head. Ruby, by contrast, felt her head spinning again. Not only had Yang left her alone with someone she barely knew- even if he was quite nice beyond his rough exterior -but now she was being swamped by other people. At least this girl looked nicer. Her clothing was somewhat reminiscent of Yang's, but a different color and less revealing. That alone helped Ruby's feelings, though her deadpan look wasn't quite as helpful compared to her sister's animated expressions. At least her bow was cute?

"Heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation," the black-haired girl continued, "The largest producer of energy propellent in the world."

"Finally, some recognition!" Weiss said, a grin on her face.

"Also known for their horrible labor and questionable business practices."

Ruby couldn't quite keep a giggle from escaping her lips at the way Weiss sputtered when the other girl said that. It was funny! What was rather less funny, was Weiss scoffing and stomping off with anger clear in her figure. This semester was off to a wonderful start...

"Geez, wonder what crawled up her dress and died," Ichigo said, shaking his head.

"Welcome to Beacon eh?" Ruby replied, before she noticed that it was just her and the orangehead again, "Why does everyone keep leaving?"

The taller teen just shrugged. Ruby sighed again, and was tempted to just lay down on the ground and stay there. This was not turning out to be a good idea so far. At least she had _someone_ to talk to, even if Ichigo wasn't the most talkative person out there. Shaking her head, Ruby sighed for what would hopefully be the final time, and forced a grin onto her face. Even if she was having a bad day, she would face it with a grin on her face. Letting something like this get her down? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen or her name wasn't Ruby Rose!

"Come on, let's go see..."

Before she could finish that sentence, the teen nearly ran into another teen. Vomit Boy, to be more precise. Now that he was off the ship, the blonde looked better. He still looked just as lost as she felt though...which was saying something.

"Yo," Ichigo said, walking up to the pair.

"Hey," the blonde replied, "You two lost too?"

"Of course not! I know exactly where we're at!" Ruby replied.

Both Ichigo _and_ the blonde raised their eyebrows. The redhead just stuck her tongue out, finding it easier and easier to well...be herself. Ichigo didn't judge _anyone_ really, and the blonde just seemed calming to be around. It was an odd feeling to be sure.

"Well, I say we explore a bit," the blonde said, "Name's Jaune by the way."

"Ruby."

"Ichigo."

Once the introductions were out of the way, the little group started wandering the grounds. Ruby didn't have any idea where they were supposed to go after Yang left her anyway...and Ichigo had said he didn't either. Maybe Jaune did, but at that moment...she didn't really care. It was nice to just walk and talk with the other teens. Maybe Yang was right, and this whole 'meeting people' thing wasn't as bad as she thought.

Aaannndd...then she remembered Weiss. It was probably luck that Ichigo and Jaune were so easy to talk to. It might also have helped that she was in a _beautiful_ part of Beacon, with a little pond to her side.

"I'm just saying, motion sickness is a lot more common than people think," the blonde was saying.

"Sorry, Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind," Ruby giggled.

"Yeah yeah," Jaune said, though there wasn't any real bite to his words.

Ichigo just smiled ever so slightly, "It was still funny."

Jaune didn't even bother replying to that. Ruby, deciding that she wanted to break the ice in a way she understood, moved to where she wasn't standing right next to either boy. She reached behind her back, a grin forming on her face. This was where she was comfortable!

"Sooo..." she said casually, before unfolding Crescent Rose again, "I have this."

A squeak came from Jaune, who backed up quickly, "Is that a scythe?"

"And does it really need to be that big?" Ichigo added, eyebrow going up.

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle," Ruby replied to the first question, before just sticking her tongue out at Ichigo.

"A what?"

Ruby cocked her weapon, "It's also a gun."

"Oh..." Jaune nodded, "That's cool!"

A blush crossed Ruby's face, smiling at the praise before looking at the other teens weapons, "What do you have?"

"I have this sword," the blonde replied first, drawing the aforementioned weapon, "and this shield too."

The sword and shield were fairly standard actually. A normal old longsword, and an admittedly interesting shield/sheath combination. Nothing special in the end though...which was odd to Ruby. Every other student she had seen so far had something special like her own Crescent Rose, albeit not quite _as_ complex. Jaune though, had something that any old soldier could use. It was a bit odd, though she did like the weapon. It wasn't often that someone could get into a school like Beacon with something so simple after all.

Like it wasn't often that someone got in two years early. Maybe she and Jaune had something in common?

"Oh..." Ruby mimicked the older teen, "Do they do anything?"

As she asked that, she placed a hand on the shield...promptly making it bounce around, extending and retracting. Her eyes widened, as Ichigo ducked underneath the shield while Jaune struggled to catch it. When he finally _did_ catch the thing, he retracted it and placed it back on his hip. Ruby couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief at that. The thing was more dangerous than his sword!

"The shield...contracts, so when I get tired of carrying it...I can just...put it away," Jaune explained, once it was back on his hip.

Ruby blinked, "But wouldn't it weigh the same?"

"Yeah..."

Ichigo laughed, "Well, at least it's smaller."

Jaune perked up, "Good point!"

"So did you build it?"

At that question from his female companion, Jaune blushed slightly. The redhead didn't know what to think about that. Every student at Signal built their own weapons...was it different where he came from? It would be odd...building your own weapon gave you such an advantage in a fight. She loved Crescent Rose too, and wouldn't ever feel as comfortable with another weapon.

"Actually..." he scratched his head, "It's my great-great-grandfathers. He used it in the war!"

"Huh," Ruby nodded, "Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days. I may have gone a bit overboard myself...heh...what about you Ichigo?"

The orangehead nodded, maybe a bit warily, as he reached over his shoulder and drew the weapon. Ruby felt her silver eyes widen, as her mouth formed an 'O'. For all that Jaune's sword was standard fare and ancient to boot, Ichigo's was...well, she didn't know how to describe it. Unlike a longsword, Ichigo's had a soft curve to it, nothing at all like the straight blade Jaune used, and unlike anything Ruby had ever seen. And she had seen a _lot_ of weapons, considering how much they fascinated her. The curve wasn't the only odd thing though. It also had a red-cloth covered hilt. And the square guard had...crescent moons...engraved on it. The blue tassels on the end were a bit odd too. But...

On top of all that, the weapon almost...glowed...if that was possible. Was that his Aura? She had never been able to see one before!

Honestly, she had only one thing to say about this sword.

"Cool!" the redhead shouted, her eyes wide as saucers, "I've never seen a sword like that! What is it? What is it?"

Ichigo just blinked, "Err...my Zanpakutō."

"What?" Jaune asked, "Is that a Hunter thing?"

"My old man called it that," the orangehead replied, "It means 'Soul Cutter'."

Ruby was too busy examining the blade in great detail to care what the name meant. If anything, the name just sounded cool.

"So your sword is called Soul Cutter? Mine is Crescent Rose!"

The older teen couldn't help but smile at Ruby's enthusiasm. But he shook his head all the same. The girl frowned at that, wondering if she had said something wrong. It would be like her to put her foot in her mouth...even if she didn't know what it could possibly have been this time.

"Actually, that's the type of weapon," he explained, "Mine is named Zangetsu. Slaying Moon, if you want a translation."

If anything, Ruby just considered that name _more_ cool. But she didn't have time to geek out over it, since Ichigo wasn't done talking. He replaced Zangetsu in it's sheath, and looked around. Ruby followed his eyes, as did Jaune. And all three of them quickly realized one thing. They were alone...not a single other student was around. The girl blinked slightly, before looking at her companions.

"Umm...do you know where we are?"

"No, I was following you," Jaune scratched his head.

"Not a clue," Ichigo shrugged.

Ruby just sighed.

* * *

**AN: And there we go. This is very much an experiment for me really. Both in the fact I've never written the RWBY characters before (being as I've only recently found the show), and the way I'm writing it. Namely, in the fact I'm doing what I've seen other authors do...have each segment from one dominate point of view. Normally I would go with every character in the scene, so this is a new thing for me. Hopefully it worked out.**

**And hopefully I got the characterizations right...it's been a _long_ time since I've had new canon characters to write, since I've mostly stuck with Bleach and Gundam, where I'm a lot more familiar with the characters.**

**I should also note that Ichigo _has _his family here. How they all ended up here, with Ichigo clearly still a Shinigami (Hollows and all) will be explained...but not right away.**

**I feel like I should note one more thing though: Pairings are already decided. I won't say _who_ is with _who_, but suffice to say, anyone who will be paired up already has been in the outline. And no, Ichigo will not have every female within miles chasing him...one _pair_ing for him. Not a harem or threeway. Just getting that out the way now.**

**Let me know if this went well! Also, anyone know when Vol. 3 is coming? I figure it would be at RTX in August, but I don't know for sure...all I do know, is I'm not going past Vol 2 until 3 comes out. So this story may end up on hiatus, depending on writing speed and when Vol. 3 comes out.**


	2. First Night

**AN: Well...this is humbling. I didn't expect 22 reviews for the first chapter, considering just how much of an experiment this is. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going- current goal is an update every Friday.**

**This is fun to write, I'll say that much. A bit difficult too, but more in a 'fun challenge' way. The characters are fun to write, but it's equally 'fun' maintaining the proper characterization. Hopefully I can keep that up.**

**Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

_Maybe sending Ruby off on her own wasn't such a good idea..._

Yang sighed, as she stood among the other new students in the gathering area. Her friends had split off by now, and she was alone waiting for Ruby and Ichigo. More so the former, since she wasn't about to call the orangehead a 'friend' after just barely talking to him. But she was starting to worry that her sister had managed to get herself lost. Ruby had no idea where things were at Beacon after all. Not that Yang herself did, but she at least had friends and had followed the pack to the meeting area. Her sister didn't have either advantage. Hence, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to throw her to the hounds, so to speak.

If Ruby got lost before the first day had even started, that was most certainly _not_ a good sign. Thus, the reason that Yang was watching the door, instead of keeping an eye on the podium.

"Come on Ruby, hurry up..."

Right as she said that, the blonde perked up as her sister came rushing through the door. Ichigo was right next to her as expected, though his black...robe thing...blended in the dark back area rather well. Vomit Boy was with the pair too, oddly enough. Shaking her head in amusement, Yang stuck her hand up and started waving to get her sister's attention.

"Ruby! Over here, I saved you a spot!" Yang shouted cheerfully, grin widening as Ruby noticed her and perked up.

"Oh! Hey, I gotta go, see you after the ceremony!" Ruby waved at Vomit Boy, before running over to where Yang was standing.

The blonde raised an elegant eyebrow though, as Ichigo continued following Ruby around. The other teen just shrugged, as he stood next to the sisters.

"I don't know anyone else here," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ahh..." Yang replied dubiously.

"He's so cool sis!" Ruby entering into her 'motor mouth' mode served to distract Yang though.

Turning to her sister, the taller girl blinked, "Really? How?"

"He's got a special sword! I've never seen anything like it, and it's soooo awesome! It's a zan...zanp..."

"Zanpakutō," Ichigo supplied.

"Uh huh. So, where have you two been?" a smile crossed Yang's face as she looked down on Ruby, "And how has your first day been going little sister?"

Ruby's own smile faded off her face. Her sister blinked, and felt like sighing again. It was clear that her little sister wasn't having a good time, her fangirling over weaponry aside. It didn't even surprise her really. While she was very much a 'toss you into the water' type person herself, Yang _did _know how uncomfortable Ruby was with other people.

"You mean after you ditched me?" the younger girl complained.

"Hey, I didn't _ditch_ you!"

"You kinda did," Ichigo broke in.

The younger sister nodded, "Yeah!"

Yang just scoffed, "Double teaming me? Already?"

A giggle was her answer, as even Ichigo cracked a small smile. Yang just sighed and shook her head, amusement clear on her face. It looked like her plan had worked to some extent...Ichigo seemed like a nice enough guy, and he and Ruby seemed to get along. Considering how difficult it was for Ruby to make friends, her older sister considered that a victory. Yang was determined to always be there when her sister needed her, but even with that, she wanted Ruby to break out of her shell and make friends on her own. It was important for growing up.

And it seemed like she had found her first couple of friends. Mysterious Ichigo Kurosaki, and less-mysterious Vomit Boy. Eh, it was a start at least.

"I was yelled at actually," Ruby broke into her sister's thoughts.

"Someone yelled at you?" Yang asked, cracking her knuckles.

"Uh huh! This crabby girl, who said we got in her way and got all angry at us! I don't even know why, I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

The blonde was going to ask what her sister meant, when a female yell caught her attention. A white haired girl broke into their little group, prompting Ruby to jump into Yang's arms, and Ichigo to plant his face in his palm.

"You! Why are you two over here?!"

Yang's brow went up again, "We're students?"

"What she said," Ichigo agreed, "Why are _you_ acting so mean to everyone? Something tick you off?"

"Wha...I am _not_ acting mean!" the girl shouted, her blue eyes narrowing.

"You kinda are," Yang deadpanned, "Who is she anyway?"

That question was directed at Ruby and Ichigo. The former seemed to finally realize where she was, as she scrambled out of her sister's arms. Ruby had an adorable flush on her face, as she giggled slightly. Yang just smiled and shook her head, before raising her eyebrow at the pair. She _did_ want an answer, preferably from Ichigo or her sister, not the...other girl. Who did seem quite crabby.

Unfortunately, Ichigo just shrugged, "Wei...something or other. I'm horrible with names."

"Weiss," Ruby filled in.

Scoffing, the girl in question glared at Ichigo, "How you can forget someone with _my_ name is beyond me. Weiss Schnee, that's who I am."

"Ohhh..."

Weiss just glared at Yang's lack of reaction, before turning her head in a huff. Ruby looked between her sister and the heiress, clearly out of her element. Ichigo just ignored Weiss entirely, and shrugged at the sisters in a 'what are you going to do' manner. Yang grinned at that, feeling almost the same way...this girl wasn't worth it if she couldn't drop the attitude. But Ruby needed friends and at least she had met Weiss...so...even if it wasn't particularly appealing, she should at least make an effort. The heiress didn't seem friendly, but eh, if it worked it worked.

_Not that I like her myself. She's a bit stuck up._

"Look, I'm sure you two just got off on the wrong foot," she said, "Why not try to be friends?"

Ruby nodded quickly, "Great idea sis! Ahem...hello Weiss, I'm Ruby! Want to hang out? Go shopping for school supplies?"

"Oh that's a great idea!" Weiss replied, cheer in her voice, "We could be best friends! Go clothes shopping, paint our nails and talk about cute boys...like tall, dark, and...orange...here."

"Really?" Ruby asked, awe in her voice.

"No."

Yang sighed and looked away. That plan had backfired rather badly, hadn't it? Luckily for her, the awkwardness didn't last long. If only because Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon, coughed lightly into his microphone. The new students focused on the professor, who looked out on them with an indecipherable expression on his face. The look went almost exactly over Yang and her little group, making even _her_ feel somewhat uncomfortable. She knew Ozpin was the reason Ruby was even at Beacon, so it made sense for him to look out for her.

It still felt very odd...like he knew something no one else did.

"I'll keep this brief," Ozpin began, pushing his glasses up his face, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills."

"Well, actually I came here for the adventure," Yang grinned at Ruby.

"Shh!" the younger girl whispered, not wanting the Professors attention drawn on her.

Luckily, he didn't seem to notice as he continued his speech, "And when you finish, you are going to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Ruby grinned at that, getting a smile out of her sister. She had always wanted to be a Huntress...to help others, like their parents had. Looking over her shoulder though, Yang saw Ichigo nodding along with Ozpin's words. She had not known the other teen long...but instead of the scowl, the blonde saw a determined look cross Ichigo's face.

_Wonder what that's about?_

"But when I look among you, I just see wasted energy. A need for purpose...for direction. You assume that knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school, will show you that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to _you_ to take the first step."

And with that said, Ozpin walked away from the microphone. Yang frowned slightly, and flicked her long hair aimlessly. That was perhaps the oddest entrance speech to well...anything...she had ever heard. Not cheery and welcoming. If anything, it was like Ozpin wanted to test their resolve before they even started. As she had told her sister, Yang was here for the adventure, not the knowledge. But the way the Professor had talked...well, it had her questioning exactly what Beacon would be like. Hopefully fun, but...she just didn't know, not anymore. It wasn't a good feeling.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins, be ready," Goodwitch finished off the speech.

As the crowd began to disperse, Yang looked at her sister, a confused expression on both their faces.

"He seemed...off."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, it's almost like he wasn't even ther...hey, where'd Ichigo go?"

Yang blinked, and looked around. And indeed, the orangehead had vanished into thin air. Without her noticing at all, and Yang was observant enough that _never_ happened. With Ruby's Semblance, she had to be used to catching the slightest movement. For Ichigo to vanish without _her_ noticing...

_Okay Mr. Orange, you've caught my attention now..._

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

Ichigo sighed as he wandered the halls of Beacon. He was alone, most of the other students moving to go to bed. That was fine by him though...Ichigo was a loner, almost by nature. He would be the first to admit he genuinely liked those quirky girls he had met- well, not Weiss -but by the same token, he preferred having some time alone. Probably a side effect of never having formal schooling in Vale. The only people he was regularly around were his father and sisters, so it wasn't particularly surprising that he would prefer the time alone. Not to mention...some of the things he had heard struck a little too close to home since he had arrived.

Ruby most notably. He doubted she knew what she was saying when she mentioned a weapon being part of the Hunter or Huntress, but the fact remained...she was right in his case. Ichigo hadn't sensed anyone else having a weapon like his own, though he would be the first to admit- his father generally being second -that he was utter crap at sensory abilities. That being said, he hadn't sensed a soul in any of the weapons he had seen, not even that crazy scythe of Ruby's that she treated like it was alive.

_"Oi, Zangetsu, you sense anything?"_

**"Nope, not a damn thing,"** the double-toned voice answered.

_"Nor do I,"_ the deeper, but human, other voice added.

A sigh answered those statements. If neither portion of his Zanpakutō, Hollow or Quincy, could sense anything then he wasn't missing something. And on the note of his spirits...unique...nature...

**"Before I forget,"** the Hollow spoke up, **"Be more fucking careful how you talk Kingy. No one here knows what a Hollow is, and I'd like to keep it that way."**

_"There aren't _any_ Hollows in Remnant, and you know that."_

**"I also don't care. Stop comparing me to those soulless...things..."**

Ichigo sighed softly, as he felt the slight shudder his more violent spirit had at the mention of the Grimm. Even for a Hollow like Zangetsu, the Grimm were...terrifying. Isshin had said numerous times, that for something to be alive without any soul was the worst perversion of nature he had ever seen. And after fighting Grimm in training exercises, Ichigo was inclined to agree. There was nothing to sense from a Grimm, making it like fighting a robot...were it not for the darkness that hovered around them. A darkness that made Zangetsu's Hollow side look positively quaint.

And it was, perhaps, even worse for the Zanpakutō spirit than Ichigo or his father. Grimm _did_ resemble Hollows with their white armor. So to Zangetsu...it gave the aura of them being corrupted Hollows. It wasn't the case so far as any Kurosaki knew...but the fact remained.

_"Nonetheless,"_ the Quincy portion broke in, _"I believe that none here have the potential to be a shinigami. Several, including your new friends, have powerful Auras...but I do not believe they have Zanpakutō spirits."_

_So I'm alone as ever..._

Ichigo didn't show it much, but despite every single person in Remnant having some level of spiritual power- in the form of the Aura -he still had to deal with the fact he and his father were the only shinigami. There wasn't a single person out there like him, and it was...an odd feeling. Loner or not, anyone would have issues with that.

Regardless, he couldn't let it slow him down though.

_"At least I _have_ friends now."_

**"Kingy has a point,"** Zangetsu's Hollow side agreed.

Inside Ichigo's inner world, his Quincy side nodded, _"__Indeed. I am happy to see you have formed friendships so quickly."_

_"It wasn't me. That was Ruby and Yang."_

Those two...they should have bugged him. Ruby, when she wasn't down, was a bundle of energy that would make Yuzu's head spin. Such as when she became more comfortable with him and Jaune- who was nice enough himself, though Ichigo could tell he wasn't a good fighter...years of training with his father tended to make him observant of that type of thing. Yang by contrast, was bubbly and cheerful enough that it would have normally bugged him. But she balanced it out well enough, that it didn't. If anything, her attitude was infectious...how often did someone get him to crack a smile these days? He hadn't had a real friend since Tatsuki...so the sisters he had met today were a nice improvement in that regard.

**"Ya should probably go find that ballroom though."**

_"Since when are _you _the responsible one?"_

**"Can it."**

Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head slightly. The Hollowfied spirit did have a point though...if he stayed out too late, he'd both get himself lost again, and possibly have a prof sent out after him. Having that happen before the first official day of classes was _probably_ not a good thing. So the teen started walking towards where he could sense the greatest gathering of energy. Stopping temporarily to strip out of his shihakushō and into sleep clothes- in this case, just a pair of sweats since it was warm enough to forgo a shirt -Ichigo soon found himself in the ballroom.

"There you are!" a now-familiar bubbly voice shouted.

"And there's Yang," the teen muttered, as the blonde in question waved from where she was sitting with her sister.

Even in their sleep clothes, the sisters looked almost nothing alike. Yang was in a simple t-shirt and shorts, while Ruby had a sleepshirt with a cartoon wolf and patterned sweats. It also didn't help that the expressions on their faces were totally different. Yang looked as cheerful as ever- though Ichigo hadn't exactly known her long enough to know what she looked like when she _wasn't_ cheerful -while Ruby still looked uncomfortable. Considering the amount of people in the area, it wasn't particularly surprising that Ruby looked uncomfortable.

"Where did you vanish off to?" the blonde asked, not exactly shy about her eyes roaming up Ichigo's body.

It would take more than that to fluster him though, "Needed to walk."

"Ah."

"I miss anything?"

Ruby nodded, "You missed Yang being Yang."

The older sister stuck her tongue out at her sister, as Ichigo's eyebrow went up, "Huh?"

"I was just joking around with Ruby," Yang answered quickly.

"Okay?" the eyebrow went higher.

Yang just grinned. Ruby shook her head, though the fondness in her expression was obvious. Ichigo could recognize it well enough...he _did_ have sisters after all.

"Anyway, I was just telling Ruby that she can make friends here. You and Jaune for instance."

"But it's so hard..."

Ichigo shrugged, "I'd listen to Yang on this one. Like I said, I don't have an easy time making friends either...remember, I've been living with my family and not going to school."

"Yeah but..."

Before Ruby could finish that sentence, a light popped up, serving to distract the three teenagers. Following the source of the light, Ichigo spotted the other girl from earlier. The one who had known who Weiss was...and he had no idea who _she_ was. The dark-haired girl hadn't exactly said her name or anything. So all he knew was that she was knowledgeable and didn't like the Schnee family. And had a _really_ big bow on her head.

"It's that girl..." Ruby whispered.

"You know her?" Yang asked, a mischievous light in her eyes.

"I wouldn't say we _know_ her," Ichigo answered, "She told us who that stuck up girl was."

"Well this is the chance to know her!"

Yang proceeded to grab her sister's arm and drag her over to where the dark-haired girl was sitting. Ichigo just sighed and followed the pair.

_Yep...that's going to take getting used to._

"Hellloooo!"

The girl looked up at Yang's shout, and blinked her amber eyes, "Hello?"

"I believe you three know each other?" the blonde replied, pointing at an embarrassed Ruby and an exasperated Ichigo.

"Hi...I'm Ruby," the girl in question stuck her hand out, only to pull it back hesitantly when it became apparent the mystery girl wasn't going to shake it.

"Yo," Ichigo said simply, "I'm Ichigo."

"And I'm Yang! What's your name?"

"Blake..."

As Yang and Ruby started whispering at each other, Ichigo just sat down and leaned against a pillar across from the newly named Blake, "You get used to it."

"I'm sure," there was a hint of amusement in Blake's voice as the sisters turned back to her.

"So, how are you doing?" Yang asked first.

Blake barely looked up from her book, "Good."

"Okay...nice night isn't it?"

Ichigo could tell that the new girl was getting a bit annoyed behind her stoic mask- amused too, but mostly annoyed -at the interruptions. She seemed the bookworm type. Which was probably why she was getting annoyed actually. He could understand that...his father had a tendency to annoy him when he was working on something. Which normally ended with the old man getting tossed out a window, but that wasn't here nor there.

Shaking his head to clear the random thoughts, Ichigo refocused on the conversation.

"Yes, almost as nice as this book I'm reading," Blake was saying.

Ruby and Yang just smiled. Awkwardly.

"That I will continue to read."

The awkward smiling continued, prompting Ichigo to facepalm again, "Guys, I think she's trying to read."

"Thank you," Blake said.

Yang merely looked betrayed, "You're not helping!"

Oddly enough, it was Ruby who managed to salvage the conversation. She walked up to Blake, and looked down on the girl. A curious expression had replaced the nervous one on the teen's face. Ichigo raised his eyebrow at that...it was the first time he had seen _that_ expression on his new friend's face.

"What's its name?" she asked.

"What?" Blake asked back.

"Your book? What's its name?"

The girl blinked her eyes, before replying hesitantly, "It's about a man with two souls, both fighting for control."

Ichigo blinked himself, before laughing inside his head. Zangetsu was not amused.

**"Oi! I wasn't that bad!"**

_"You really were. Remind me to bring this up with her if we ever get to that point."_

**"...traitor."**

All joking aside, it was odd that there was a book that basically described the situation Ichigo went through before he forced Zangetsu to listen to him. The Hollow portion, at any rate, had kept trying to take over his body at first. It was exactly what Blake said her book was about...a man with two- three to be technical -souls fighting for control of the same body. The irony was palpable. Of course, these days he had a great relationship with both facets of his Zanpakutō, nothing like it used to be.

It was still amusing to some extent though.

"I love books," Ruby broke into his thoughts, "Yang used to read to me every night. Stories about heroes...monsters...they're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress."

"You read to her every night?" Ichigo asked the older sister.

Yang just shrugged, "Yup."

"Huh...I did the same with my sisters."

It seemed like Yang realized there was a story behind that, as she was looking at him a lot more intently now. Ichigo just shrugged himself this time. It was something to talk about later, but right now, it wasn't that important. In any case, Blake got both their attention again. The dark haired girl had a new expression on her face...one of confused respect. If that even worked.

"Well, the real world isn't a fairy tale," the girl was saying.

Ruby just smiled, "That's why we're here...to make it better."

Ichigo could relate to that. The reason he wanted to become a Hunter was to protect, after all.

"Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang, predictably, ruined the moment however. She pulled her sister into a hug, Ruby kicking her legs.

_Oh...my...god..._

A drop of sweat rolled down Ichigo's face as the two proceeded to get into a cat fight. Facepalming again, the orangehead noticed that Blake was _definitely _holding back a laugh now. Her face showed clear amusement as she watched the sisters play fight. And Ichigo soon joined her, a laugh escaping past his normally stoic exterior. Blake just looked at him, a smile crossing her face.

One that basically said 'should we stop them?'

"If you want to jump in there, go ahead," Ichigo shrugged, "I'm not."

"Don't blame you," Blake's smile grew slightly, though it was still tiny, "Ruby, Yang...it's a pleasure to meet you..."

"What in the world is going on over here?!"

Putting his head in his hands, Ichigo sighed, "Great, her again."

"Can't you tell some of us are trying to sle..." Weiss complained, before she realized who she was talking to, "You!"

"You!" Yang shouted right back.

Ruby just realized what was going on, and tried to defuse the situation, "She's right, we need to sleep!"

"Oh _now_ you're on my side!"

"What's your problem with my sister!"

Weiss scoffed, "Her and that orange haired delinquent are a hazard!"

"They haven't even done anything to you!"

Ichigo just looked at Blake as Ruby continued to try and salvage the situation. Nodding at her candle, the dark-haired girl got what he was trying to say. She nodded back, and pulled it to her lips...blowing the lights out. And quite easily solving the problem of the argument...because without her candle light, there wasn't much point in arguing.

The group just split up and went to bed at that point...though even in the dark, Ichigo could swear that Weiss was still glaring at them.

_She's going to be a pain..._

**"Yep."**

_"Indeed."_

* * *

**AN: And there we go. Like I said, it's proving fun keeping things in character. Hopefully that went well. Now, to take something from Angel...I'll reply to the reviews here. **

**Reviews:**

**BANKAIZEN, TheHearth, The Digger92, JJN37, xbox432, PersonaQeminod1, Guest1, Chaos-Guard, Bl4ze777, HollowMugetsu, hollowichigo12,** **Friaku:** Thanks for the reviews!

**Dark-heika:** Glad to have you! Equally glad I finally got something up you like. I can understand having an author not write something you're interested in. Funnily enough, it was the Grimm's resemblance to Hollows, more than anything else, that got this idea cooking.

**Zanka no Tachi 31:** I got somewhat lucky in starting watching after Vol. 2 was over. It's going to be a pain waiting till August though.

**Nightmare Wanderer:** Glad you like it! And yeah, the 'Mystery of Ichigo Kurosaki' is going to be the major subplot here.

**NewAtThisOk:** Well, the convo with Zangetsu should indicate which one it is. But yes, it's the new one.

**Nexagelion:** Having Ichigo's family in Vale is one of the ways I'm (hopefully) making this unique I feel. Glad you like the pairing choice...I have nothing against people who prefer multiples, but it would be too odd for me to write personally.

**Examine Draco:** Yeah, I can understand that I was too lacking. I went back and edited the first chapter to rectify that somewhat.

**blackdeath34: **Neither actually...description fail on my part, but it's a _sealed_ Zangetsu.

**Guest2:** As above, I went back and edited the first chapter to hopefully clarify things somewhat.

For those who don't want to reread though:

Zangetsu is currently in a sealed form. A daito, with a red hilt. The guard is square, with crescent moons engraved on either side of the blade. There are blue tassels on the end. Basically, a modified version of the original blade he used.

_Hopefully_ I did better in this chapter in that regard.

**humbertorojo96:** Yep, Ichigo still has his powers. Now, I'm not going to say the _extent _of said powers yet though. That's one of the 'mysteries of Ichigo Kurosaki' thing.

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Remember to drop a review on the way out, I hope to get just as many this time!**


	3. First Step

**AN: I hadn't intended to post until Friday still...but...  
**

**I'm posting this early in honor of Monty Oum. Without him, RWBY wouldn't exist. And if all I can do to honor that is continue this story, I'll do the best I can.**

**Even if I haven't the slightest idea how to continue past Volume 2 now. I _will_ continue.**

* * *

****Ruby Rose****

* * *

In the dawn of her second day at Beacon Academy, Ruby Rose found herself far more happy and content than she had been the previous day. Instead of awkward meetings with people she didn't know, she just had the initiation today. Something that she could get behind, since it probably involved slaughtering Grimm. And that...well, _that_ Ruby was good at. It was certainly more enjoyable than spending time meeting new people and talking to them. She loved her sister very much, and genuinely enjoyed spending time with Yang. But that didn't mean the young girl particularly enjoyed the idea of doing the same with other people- even Ichigo, who she got along with well enough.

So, needless to say, as she skipped along with Yang to the locker room, Ruby was in a much better mood.

_No more awkward talking! Just doing what I'm good at!_

Grinning with an almost silly expression on her face, the girl grabbed her stuff out of her locker as she saw Yang shake her head in amusement in the background. Just turning her grin on her sister, Ruby quickly changed into her usual combat outfit, securely fastening her beloved cloak. Wouldn't do to leave _that_ behind, now would it?

"You seem awfully chipper this morning," Yang commented in the background, a smile clear in her voice.

Letting a pair of students- one tall man with a green outfit and dark hair, the other a girl with red hair and a white shirt with a pink skirt -walk past, Ruby smiled at her sister.

"Of course! No more awkward small talk or getting to meet people! Instead, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking."

To emphasize her point, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out of her locker and cuddled it close to her face, running a hand along the collapsed weapon, cooing all the while. She could see Yang giving her a dubious look, and it got a mental giggle out of the younger sister.

"Okay...what did I just walk into?" a dry male voice spoke up.

Turning her head from her weapon, Ruby saw Ichigo walking up, back in his black outfit with Zangetsu strapped to his back. Though he seemed to have added straps of white armor to his arms and chest, that weren't there the previous day. Straps that crisscrossed in an odd pattern, but seemed to fit perfectly to his body nonetheless.

"Ruby cuddling her 'sweetheart'?" Yang replied, with a barely contained laugh.

"Hey, don't make fun of Crescent Rose!" Ruby protested.

Ichigo's mouth twitched upwards, "I noticed. You two seem to be in a good mood."

Ruby turned her grin on her new friend, "Yup! I get to do what I'm good at now, fighting! No more small talk!"

Even as the girl said that though, she noticed her sister frowning slightly in the background. Turning with a questioning eyebrow, Ruby waited to see what Yang had to say. She knew when her sister was going to speak her mind better than anyone.

"Remember Ruby, you aren't the only one going through initiation today," the blonde spoke up, "if you want to grow up, you'll have to meet new people."

"Gah, you sound like Dad," Ruby complained, shaking her head in annoyance, "First off, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting. And second, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk!"

If the girl expected that to work, she was wrong. Ichigo flat out laughed at that statement, bringing a flush to Ruby's face. Why was he laughing at her? Had she said something wrong, or funny? She hadn't tried to...

"I don't think she meant physically," Ichigo got out, shaking his head with the amusement still clear on his ordinarily stoic face, "She meant grow up mentally."

"Yeah," Yang nodded.

The redhead just frowned, "I still don't see the point...I have you two, do I need anyone else?"

Frankly, Ruby didn't see a point in meeting anyone else. She would always have Yang...her sister had promised, _promised,_ to always be there for her. Yang had said she was never going to leave, and Ruby held her to that. Adding Ichigo into the equation was simply because the guy was nice and seemed to genuinely consider her and her sister as friends. Which was certainly a nice thing, since it made getting along with him easier. But it also meant she really didn't see a reason to meet anyone else. She had Yang...she had Ichigo...what was the point?

_I love Yang, but sometimes she doesn't understand me!_

Ruby wasn't blind though. She did see her sister get a worried look on her face at that statement. Clearly, Yang wasn't happy with her want to stay with just her and maybe Ichigo.

"What about when we form teams?" Yang asked.

Shuffling her feet, the younger sister looked at the floor. The idea hadn't really occurred to her yet...

"I'll just be on your team, or something..." Ruby muttered softly.

Yang tugged on her hair, a nervous quirk that her sister was quite familiar with, "Why don't you try being on someone else's team? Like Ichigo?"

"Why are you dragging me into this?" Ichigo asked, eyebrow going up as Ruby stomped up to her sister.

"My dear sister Yang, are you implying you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

While Ruby spoke with anger in her voice, underneath that anger she was...scared. Yes, Ruby Rose was scared at the idea of her sister being on a different team. She hated the idea of going through Beacon without Yang by her side. She had expected that until Ozpin had jumped her ahead two years. Now that she was at Beacon with no one she knew but Yang, Ichigo and _maybe_ Blake and Weiss...the idea of her sister leaving her behind terrified her. If Yang left her behind, what would she do? Ruby couldn't deal with being stuck with people she didn't know. She _needed_ Yang with her.

"What? No, of course I do!" naturally, Yang was well-versed in reading her little sister's moods by this point, "I just thought...I dunno...it would help you break out of your shell or something."

Feeling her temper actually coming back, Ruby yelled, "What? Break out of my...I don't need to break out of my shell! That's ridiculous!"

The teenager only barely noticed Jaune walking by complaining about something or other. All her attention was focused on her sister, who to her credit, looked a bit awkward herself.

"I just want to help you Ruby," the older girl spoke softly.

And just like that, the anger fled from Ruby's body. Her sister was always trying to help her...sure, sometimes she didn't want or like the help. This was one of those occasions. But that didn't change the fact that she was always trying. Yang loved her just as much as Ruby loved her...and it showed. She didn't want to meet new people, precisely because Yang was always there to help her. What was the point in meeting new people with Yang always there?

Ichigo's deep voice served to break Ruby from those depressing thoughts, "For what its worth, I'd want to be on the same team as you two."

Turning her head so fast she almost got whiplash, even _with _her Semblance, Ruby blinked her large eyes. Ichigo was just scratching the back of his neck again, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

"You two are going to be good friends, I can tell that much," the other teen said, "Not to mention I think we could work well together. You two are sisters, and I get along with you...so why not?"

Yang looked thoughtful, "And the teams are supposed to be four people...we'd only need one more person."

Grateful for the change in conversation, Ruby turned to her sister, "Blake? Or Jaune?"

"Not sure Jaune's a good idea..." Ichigo looked a bit dubious.

"Why? He's nice! I thought you liked him too?" Ruby pointed out.

A sigh was her answer, "Yeah, he's nice enough. But he's not a fighter."

Both sisters looked at the male teenager, who shrugged slightly. Ruby was more interested in what he had to say than Yang though. Jaune was a bit clumsy, but he wouldn't have gotten into Beacon if he wasn't a fighter. She knew as well as anyone how hard it was to get in. Which is why Ruby didn't want to be treated special because she got in early- she was well aware how _hard_ it was to enter Beacon.

"Why do you say that?" Yang asked first.

"I've been training to fight since I was ten years old," Ichigo shrugged again, "I can tell you two fight. Yang's in a ready stance no matter what the situation. And Ruby, you are always ready to reach for Crescent Rose. Jaune...he seems uncomfortable with his weapons."

The siblings blinked at that, before looking down at their bodies. They hadn't even realized they stood like that...how had _he_ noticed?

"I really stand like that?" Ruby asked.

Ichigo nodded, "Pretty much."

"What I want to know, is how you've picked up that skill," Yang mused.

Ruby didn't like the look on her sister's face. She had clearly found a mystery and wanted the answer to it. And when Yang got an investigation in her head, her sister got dragged along for the ride. Luckily, Jaune saved her for now.

"Whoa!"

"I'm sorry!"

The three new friends- well, two sisters and one new friend -turned their heads. Ruby fought back a giggle, as she saw Jaune pinned to the wall with an intricate spear through his hood. Standing in front of him were a girl she didn't know, and Weiss. The former, long red hair matching her equally red skirt though not her gold chest-piece, looked familiar though. Weiss she obviously knew, but the other one...where did she know her from? Scratching her head, Ruby tried to figure it out. Where had she seen this girl before...

Oh!

_That's Phyrra Nikos! I knew I recognized her!_

Phyrra, for her part, walked up to Jaune and pulled her spear from the wall, "It was nice to meet you!"

With that said, she left with Weiss. And as Glynda's voice repeated the message to go to the Cliff, that answered that question before Ruby could even think of it.

"Well, guess it's time to get started!" Yang looked like she was ready to rush through the door.

"Yeah, this should be fun," Ichigo agreed.

Ruby just grinned, "I'm looking forward to this! But..."

Walking forward, the young girl knelt in front of Jaune. The blonde was shaking his head morosely, not even caring about the announcement.

"I don't get it...my dad said women love confidence!"

Ichigo's scowl twitched upwards, "Confidence is one thing, but you _might_ have overdid it."

It was impossible...Ruby couldn't hold back the giggle at Jaune's face. He looked like he was really thinking over what Ichigo had said, instead of the fact he had just been launched into wall. It was just so...funny! Of course, the giggle stopped when he turned to look at _her_, though he didn't look angry. More like he was amused himself, at the sheer absurdity of the situation. At least he could recover quickly? Ruby didn't know if she could recover from something that got her down so quickly.

"That, and 'Snow Angel' may not have been the best start," Yang added, as Ruby pulled her new friend to his feet.

"Yeah...maybe," Jaune conceded, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulder.

"Come on Jaune, let's go."

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

Standing at the cliff with the rest of the new students, Ichigo sighed mentally. It was time to truly begin his career at Beacon, and he wasn't really sure how it would go. Now that he was actually standing between Yang and some guy in overly-complex armor, it really struck home. There was no turning back, it was time to stop being a loner. And having been one for so long...it was going to be an adjustment to be sure. At least he had friends, as he turned his head and got smiles from Ruby and Yang. The former was smiling weakly though...a reminder that as much as Ichigo had to adjust to things, Ruby was having just as many issues. The girl was chipper, but clearly didn't like interacting with people outside her sister- and himself, for that matter.

Yang, typically Ichigo had discovered, was wearing a cocky grin instead. She was certainly eager to get started. Something Ichigo could relate to, as he heard the sound of cracking knuckles in his head. Rolling his eyes, he tried to ignore it. Of course, the more eager portion of Zangetsu was hardly the quiet type when it came to stuff like this.

**"It's about damn time we get to go kill some Grimm,"** the Hollow-voice said, bloodlust leaking into the tone.

_"Only if we run into any. I'm not going to go hunting just to make you happy."_

**"Killjoy!"**

_"Madman."_

Ignoring the sputtering of his Zanpakutō, Ichigo focused on the Professors in front of him. Ozpin and Glynda to be more specific, the former sipping a coffee as he looked out at the students. Looking at the students himself, the teen noticed that only Ruby and Jaune seemed to be ill at ease. The rest ranged from uninterested- Weiss -to eager, like Yang.

"For years, you have trained to be warriors," Ozpin broke into his thoughts, "Today, your skills will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Ichigo doubted most of the other students could feel it, but _he_ could easily feel the darkness indicative of Grimm, even from here. That forest was crawling with the things.

_Sending new students down there? That's crazy._

**"Luckily for us both, you're already insane."**

Still ignoring his Hollowfied weapon, the teenager returned his focus to his Professors. Glynda was alternating between her Scroll and the students, her eyes as sharp as ever.

"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," the woman began, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be assigned teammates. Today."

Ruby groaned softly, her face gaining even more of an apprehensive look to it. For his part, Ichigo just shrugged. It wasn't like he hadn't come into this expecting that. They wouldn't have gathered everyone like this if they _weren't_ doing something special. Though, admittedly, it might have been better for future teams to let everyone get to know each other better. Not everyone had ready-made partners like he did with Ruby and Yang- and to a lesser extent, Jaune. Then again, toss someone in to the wolves and they'd _have_ to work together.

_"I believe that to be the goal,"_ the Quincy portion of Zangetsu concurred.

_"Yeah...we got lucky meeting Ruby and Yang when we did."_

_"Indeed."_

Ozpin's voice broke into Ichigo's thoughts once more, the man focusing on each student as he spoke...and lingering on Ichigo and Ruby longer than any other.

"These teammates will be with you the rest of the time you are here at Beacon," the grey-haired man explained, eliciting another grown from the girl in the hood, "As such, it is in your best interests to partner with someone you can get along with."

Ichigo nodded along with the Professor, looking at his potential partners. Jaune looked confused, while Ruby was getting progressively paler and more worried looking. Yang just shrugged at him, rolling her eyes at the nervous wreck next to her. Ichigo's mouth twitched up slightly, before he turned back to the older man with the perpetual coffee.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with upon landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" Ruby shouted, her voice cracking in shock.

Only Ichigo and Yang made any acknowledgment of Ruby's shout. For his part, the shinigami felt his mouth twitch upwards even further. Even as the older portion of his Zanpakutō berated him for finding amusement in Ruby's worry. Forcing the small smile back into his customary scowl, the teenager turned to look at Ruby. Yang was patting her sister on the shoulder, as the shorter girl looked positively terrified at the idea of being partnered with someone on such a random chance.

Considering even in the short amount of time he had known her, Ichigo had picked up on Ruby having _real_ social issues...it made sense. Well, he would just have to make an effort to track her down when they landed. If Yang couldn't find her sister, he would. It reminded him too much of how Yuzu would act when he wasn't around.

"As soon as you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin continued, "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your way, or you _will_ die."

It was Jaune's turn to whimper, getting a raised eyebrow from Ichigo. And Yang for that matter, who was looking at the teen next to her with an interesting expression on her face. Like she was really wondering how he had pegged Jaune as someone who wasn't a fighter. Because the blonde _had_ been the only one who seemed to have an issue with destroying Grimm. Hell, Ichigo was wincing internally as his Hollow-side rejoiced at the idea that they would have to fight their way to their destination.

Nothing new there.

**"Now, this will be fun! I think I like this guy!"**

_"You would."_

Ozpin didn't make any indication he noticed Ichigo's internal conversation- it would have been rather creepy if he had -as the man ignored Jaune's whimpering and continued his explanation.

"You will be monitored and graded for the rest of your initiation. However, our instructors will not help you," the Professor explained, "At the end of the path, you will find an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair will secure one relic, and return here to the cliff. We will regard each relic and your performance, and grade each pair accordingly."

Looking at the students, Ozpin's expression didn't once change.

"Any questions?"

Ichigo didn't have any. The whole thing seemed simple enough...partner with someone, grab a relic, and get back to the cliff. Wiping out any Grimm in the path...which could be difficult, but he doubted there was anything down there _truly_ dangerous. Of course, just because _he_ didn't have any questions didn't mean no one did.

"Um...sir?" Jaune raised his hand hesitantly.

Ozpin proceeded to ignore him, "Good, now take your positions."

Jaune wasn't going to give up that easily though, "Um...sir, I've got a question. So this...landing strategy thing...what exactly does that mean?"

Rolling his eyes slightly at the question as _people were launched off the cliff_, Ichigo got himself in position. He crouched his legs, placing a hand on Zangetsu's hilt. This was going to be an interesting ride. He wasn't launched off cliffs often, that was more his father's forte- God only knew how many times he had kicked the old man out a window. Shouldn't be that hard to make a landing though, not with his abilities.

"Are you dropping us off or something?"

"No, you will be falling."

Even Ichigo had to admire the deadpan delivery from the elder Professor. He couldn't even tell if the man was amused or not.

"I...see. Did you um, hand out parachutes or something?"

"No, you will use your own landing strategy."

Ichigo would have payed more attention to the rest of the talk, but his turn to launch was about to hit him. As the man in armor flew off the cliff, the teenager turned his head to Yang and Ruby. He allowed a cocky smirk to cross his face, getting a giggle from Ruby and a challenging look from Yang. Oh, he was going to have to compete with that girl for _everything_ wasn't he?

Shaking his head in amusement, Ichigo didn't hear Jaune's next words, as he was launched into the air. The rush of the wind through his hair precluded hearing anything from the other students, all of whom were falling in different directions. Or flailing helplessly, in the case of a certain blonde. In Ichigo's case though, he didn't flail or even do anything fancy.

_Remember what the old man taught me..._

All the teen did was focus his energy into his legs, and shoot into a shunpo. If anyone had been watching him- none were aside from the Professors -they would merely have seen a sudden flash of black, before Ichigo vanished from sight. He exited his shunpo- and reappeared -in front of a tree. Quickly tugging Zangetsu from his sheath, Ichigo stabbed the blade into the trunk of the massive tree. His arm jerked heavily, but the teenagers formidable grip held onto the blade, as it forced him to a halt.

**"Nice landing Kingy."**

_"Eh. Should have managed it without sticking you into a tree."_

The Zanpakutō didn't dispute that point, as Ichigo tugged the blade out and dropped the remaining distance to the ground. Dusting his uniform off, the orange-haired shinigami examined his surroundings. Thick greenery was all he could see in every direction, not one sign of any other students. In the few gaps between the trees he _did_ see the cliffs that surrounded Emerald Forest.

But that hardly helped him any.

"Okay...which direction should I go..." Ichigo muttered under his breath, before pulling out the compass his idiot of a father snuck into his stuff, "Hmm...that's north. Prof said the relics were there."

_"Then we must continue in that direction,"_ the Old Man replied.

Ichigo nodded slightly, "Yeah. But I want to find Ruby or Yang too."

_"Then reach out with your senses."_

Doing as his blade suggested, Ichigo attempted to focus his sensory abilities. It was not an easy task for him by any means though. He was not the best at sensory stuff to begin with- something his father made fun of _all the time_ -and the pervading darkness of the Grimm made it even harder. It didn't help that the teen wasn't _that_ familiar with Ruby or Yang yet. Nonetheless, he had to try.

**"Yang seemed fiery,"** the Hollow suggested, **"Kinda hot too."**

_"How clever."_

**"Hey, she likes puns y'know!"**

Shaking his head while wondering how his blade was so different from himself, Ichigo did focus on something fiery. Where Yang was, Ruby was bound to be close by. At least, he assumed so. Regardless, Ichigo's senses quickly zoned in on a sense of barely controlled fire. If that wasn't the blonde, he would eat his hat...or would, if he had one. Keeping his senses focused on the fire signature, the teen set off into the distance.

Of course, he was so focused on finding one of the sisters, that he didn't notice the red eyes following him through the forest...

* * *

**AN: And there we go. The quality isn't what it could be...this was written after I found out the news about Monty. I did what I could but...I hope everyone understands. Let me know if you liked it.**

**Reviews: **

**MEleeSmasher, xbox432, PersonaQeminod1, yiggdrasill, The Digger92, Chaos-Guard, laughingspider, duskrider, Friaku, Guest1, zero, Matt, Cf96, The10thDoctor1964, Exanime Draco, lazylegionspark, Raptor010, JJN37:** Thanks for the reviews!

**P-and-P:** Ichigo is using a sealed blade for now. There will be romance, but I'm not saying who gets with who quite yet.

**IchiFell:** Yeah, for the most part it's going to follow the canon story so it'll probably stay fairly rehashy. That being said, I'm going to deviate as things go on- though the main plot remains the same.

**Dark-heika:** No appearances planned for any other Bleach characters- beyond the Kurosaki family -for now at least. I have ideas floating around in relation to the Grimm, yes. I had wanted to wait for more information from RWBY itself in that regard before committing to anything since it has been said there would be more focus on the Grimm...

But with recent events...I don't know anymore.

**Fifth Horseman:** I'm definetly making an effort to add more details in where I can. There are going to be side-arcs and two major subplots too, so while it'll follow the canon story, there will be deviations.

**hollowichigo12:** It's odd to think of Ichigo as the voice of reason...but it kinda fits in this universe, doesn't it?

**blackdeath34:** He'll have the new dual-Shikai.

**humbertorojo96:** Like I said, I'm putting effort into making subplots and subarcs to work with. I can't give RWBY cast Fullbrings though...the nature of that power precludes it. No Hollows in Remnant=no way to get Hollow reiatsu during pregnancy=no Fullbring. They will be a bit stronger than canonically though. Ichigo himself...I won't say how strong he is yet. Suffice to say, I'm making sure he can't just steamroll everything.

**Guest2:** As above...there will be new arcs, but the main story is the same. Ichigo can't change what he isn't able to influence- namely, the Evil Plan (tm).

**AN: I hope everyone liked the chapter.**

**RIP Monty.**


	4. Players and Pieces

**AN: And here we are with the regularly scheduled chapter. A _massive_ chapter at that, longest I've ever done in fact.  
**

**Or, if you prefer, only 5k words short of the first three _combined_ in length. So, yeah...this one exploded beyond what I thought it would be. Hope everyone enjoys it.**

* * *

****Ichigo Kurosaki****

* * *

**"Nice Kingy, you managed to lead us into a nest of the damn things."**

_"Shut_ up!"

_"For once, I do agree with him Ichigo."_

_"You too?!"_

**"Face it Kingy, you messed up big time here."**

Cursing under his breath, Ichigo Kurosaki ducked under the swing of a powerfully built Beowolf. The Grimm lurched over his head, as he brought Zangetsu's blade up and cut clean through the outstretched arm. Roaring in pain, the monster jumped away, clutching the stump of its arm. Ichigo didn't give it long to deal with the pain however, before he flashed forward, and cut the beast in two with the incredibly sharp blade of his sealed Zanpakutō. Spending no more attention on the dissolving body of the Beowolf, the shinigami and hunter in training instead turned towards the veritable _swarm_ of Grimm that had latched onto him. His father had said that Grimm tended to gravitate towards more powerful humans than weaker ones...something about taking out the greater threat.

Well, if the Beowolves and Ursa's surrounding him were any indication, Ichigo was inclined to agree with his old man for once. The Grimm's red eyes- the one true feature that set them apart from the yellow/black eyes of Hollows in appearance -followed his every move. It set him on edge...the darkness was oppressive, even for someone used to a Hollow living in his head. But on top of that...he couldn't predict their movements. Dueling his father, Ichigo could predict the old man's moves to a certain extent...he could _feel_ the soul moving.

The Grimm, lacking a soul, meant he couldn't do the sam...

**"Watch out you moron!"**

Jumping into the air at that shout, Ichigo watched as an Ursa flew underneath where he had been standing. The bear Grimm shook its head, and growled up at him.

_Okay...pay more attention next time..._

Holding Zangetsu in front of him, Ichigo flew back towards the ground. The Ursa swung its massive paw at him, an attack that would have sent most hunters flying. Ichigo was not most hunters...as he twisted his body in a way that most couldn't manage. The paw flew past his face, the wind rustling his hair. His blade didn't miss, as it cut deeply into the Grimm's chest.

"Gotcha..."

Rearing back, the Ursa fell in a heap on the ground. Turning away from it, the shinigami gathered energy in his legs and flashed into a series of shunpos. Limbs flew from Grimm, as they fell to the ground in bloody heaps. Moving so fast that the blood didn't touch him, Ichigo grimaced as Zangetsu cut through another Grimm's head. The armor resisted his blade long enough to slow him down. Slow him down enough...

_"Ichigo!"_

For an old and tall Beowolf, smarter and more wily than its younger counterparts, to notice him struggling to cut through the tough armor of a Grimm, nothing like a Hollow mask. Howling at its younger counterparts, it swung its claws forward as Ichigo finally pulled his blade free. The orangehead's eyes widened, as he lost a bit of hair. If Zangetsu hadn't warned him...

"Damn it! I thought they couldn't see me?"

**"Anyone can see a shunpo if they're smart enough you idiot!"**

_"It's a _Grimm_! They aren't that smart!"_

**"Well this one clearly is! Now stop arguing and kill the damn thing!"**

Not bothering to dispute the point, Ichigo drew Zangetsu back and charged at the old Grimm. The monster just howled again, backing up as a younger Beowolf jumped forward to take the blow. As the teenager pulled his blade out of the body, a third wolf jumped at his back, claws cutting a gash through one of his shoulders. Lacking an Aura in the traditional sense, Ichigo couldn't avoid getting bloodied in a battle...that was why he focused on speed.

When the speed failed him...

"Crap!"

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo spun around and lopped the head off the Grimm that had been licking its claws. The pain in his shoulder faded somewhat as the enhanced healing he had inherited from his Hollow side sealed the wound...but the very fact he had been hit annoyed him. Ichigo was _not_ the type to get hit. That Grimm was way too smart...he knew they got smarter as they got older, so this one had to be ancient.

_"__We knew not all Grimm would be easy to fight."_

_"Yeah..."_

It still pissed him off. He hadn't expected to fight a Grimm that could fight with its brain. _Every other one_ he had fought was the dumb normal variety...creatures of instinct that existed entirely to hunt and kill mankind. He had never fought one of the old ones that was actually smart. With that knowledge in mind, Ichigo's eyes began to glow blue, as his blade took on an equally blue glow. Swinging the sword at the old Grimm, Ichigo shouted two simple words...

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The teen had wanted to avoid using his signature attack...it didn't quite work properly without Shikai, and there was the risk of inadvertently hitting another student. But he wanted that Grimm _dead_. And as the blue energy wave shot forward, the Grimm couldn't do anything but howl as it was cut in two. The Getsuga continued on into the sky, trees falling to the ground around it. With his greatest threat gone, Ichigo turned back to the other Grimm. The remaining Beowolves, now outnumbered by the Ursa, howled angrily at the death of their Alpha Male.

**"Great, you made them angry."**

_"They already wanted to kill me!"_

**"And now they want to kill ya more. Nice one."**

_"You are _really_ not helping right now."_

Ignoring his unhelpful spirit, Ichigo expected to have to dodge an attack. But they didn't charge him...likely because of the Getsuga. Only he and his father could use an attack like that...and the Grimm clearly didn't know how to react to it. And that worked perfectly fine for him. Ichigo preferred fighting enemies that _didn't_ throw themselves at him.

Zangetsu was much the same, at least the Quincy side. Frankly, he preferred avoiding battles if at all possible. As part of his goal of protecting Ichigo...even from himself, sometimes.

_"Remember Ichigo, we need not fight all the Grimm."_

_"I know that. But we're already here, and if I do this...they can't hurt anyone else."_

There was silence for a second, before Zangetsu's Quincy side replied, _"__Very well. But be careful."_

Turning his attention back to the Grimm, Ichigo's scowl deepened slightly as he held his blade by his side. The dark creatures growled at him, flexing powerful muscles that could tear the average human limb from limb with very little difficulty.

"Alright, which one of you is next?"

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

* * *

Ears twitching slightly, Blake Belladonna looked up into the sky. Birds scattered as a massive blue...something...shot into the air. Her amber eyes narrowed, a curious look overcoming her normally emotionless facade. The crescent shaped blue thing flew into the sky, only dissipating after flying higher than the nearby cliff. And she had exactly no idea what that had been. She was a bit of a scholar with all the reading she did, but even so, the dark-haired teenager had never seen anything like that blue thing. Or felt anything like it...because she had felt _something_ when it flew into the air. Something she had never felt, and wasn't sure she wanted to feel again without knowing the source.

Because that was clearly not a flare or something like that. The trees that had fallen with it...and the fact it looked much more like...

"Jeez," Yang broke in, "Someone got angry. Wonder who can pull that type of attack off?"

Turning her head to her new partner, Blake tilted it slightly, "Sure that's an attack?"

"Seemed like it. Trees fell with it, and no flare's doing that."

"But who could it be," the other girl muttered softly.

Yang shrugged, "No idea. Probably Ichigo."

"Hmm?"

"Seems like something he'd do," the blonde shrugged before looking in the distance, "Come on! That temple has to be close by!"

Blake smiled slightly at Yang's endless energy, sparing one last look at the sky before following the other girl. She wasn't sure that whatever that was had been the orange-haired student, but then again, she didn't know him. She had only talked to Ichigo Kurosaki once, and while he seemed nice enough- and understood her desire for peace and quiet -she couldn't say she knew what types of powers he had. Yang would probably know better, having met him earlier.

That being said, the girl couldn't deny that the idea of _anyone_ doing something like that intrigued her.

"Hey Blake," Yang spoke up.

The dark-haired girl turned her head, an eyebrow going up. Yang was looking at her curiously, though her eyes seemed focused on something else. The grin that seemed welded on her face wasn't changing though. The girl was so...chipper...that Blake almost didn't know how to act around her. Stuff like this wasn't something she was used to, by any means. Most people she knew were like her...or so angry at the world they could never smile. Giving a minute shake of her head to clear those depressing thoughts, Blake focused back on her new partner.

"What?"

"Any idea how the teams are going to be formed?"

An eyebrow went higher, as Blake thought over the question. And realized she didn't have a real idea.

"No," she answered shortly.

Yang kicked a rock, shrugging, "Just wondering. I know Ruby wants to be on my team, but I don't know how to make that happen."

"Ruby...your sister, right?" Blake asked.

"Yup," the taller girl shrugged again, "I want her to be happy, and I know she wants on my team."

"And that is why you want her on your team?"

The other girl sighed, "Yeah."

Blake could actually understand that to some extent. She didn't have siblings, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand wanting to keep someone close to you happy. She understood _that_ perfectly well. But she still didn't have an answer for Yang. None of the students knew how the teams were formed.

"Come on," the dark-haired girl said instead, continuing to move through the forest.

"Coming!" Yang shouted back, her normal attitude returning quickly.

Trudging through the dense bush, the two girls lapsed into a comfortable silence. Blake wasn't the talkative sort, so she was perfectly fine with that of course. It was a bit of a relief actually...she didn't want to talk that much with Yang yet. Partners for the rest of their time at Beacon or not...she wasn't the type to trust quickly. The silent walk was giving her time to evaluate the blonde.

And, if she was being honest, Blake liked what she saw. Yang was bubbly to an extreme, which would normally bug her. But the blonde didn't annoy her somehow. She was extremely kind...and that was something that the dark-haired girl wasn't used to. Yang hadn't once complained about who she ended up with, even after she admitted to wanting to find Ruby. She had accepted Blake without complaint, and without question.

_I...I don't know how to act..._

Naturally, Blake was unused to this. People had never just _accepted_ her without question.

"Think that's it?" Yang's voice broke into her thoughts, dragging Blake's attention back to the blonde.

Sitting in a clearing beneath the hill the pair was standing on, was a ruined building. Stone, weathered by the ages, sat forlornly at the center of the clearing. If the situation were any different, the girl would have written it off as an old ruin, useful only for temporary shelter. Of course, the fact it was a circular construct screamed 'temple' to her. The row of glinting objects on suspiciously intact pedestals might also have something to do with it.

So she just turned to her partner, and cast a short 'what do _you_ think' look at her. Yang just smiled back, shaking her own head slightly.

"Right, stupid question."

The pair of teenage girls walked into the old temple, with easily identifiable 'relics'. So easily identifiable, that Blake felt her eyebrow rise up on its own.

_Can't be...that's too simple._

"Chess pieces?" she spoke aloud, looking at the black and gold pieces.

Yang hummed in thought, "Looks like it. Aaaaannnddd looks like we weren't the first ones here."

Mildly annoyed/amused at the way Yang drew out her words or not, Blake did agree with her. Several of the pieces, black most notably, were already missing. That meant the others had already arrived...the question then became, _who_ had already arrived? Ruby and Ichigo? Probably not those two at least...if what Blake had seen of Ruby was any indication, that girl would have stayed around until her sister showed up or she was forced to leave. Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed the type to stick around just to make sure everyone got out safely.

"Well, I guess we should pick one."

"Yup," the blonde replied, with emphasis on the 'p'.

Splitting up, the teens looked at each of the pieces to decide which one would be _theirs. _Blake looked at the black pieces, trying to decide which one fit..._her_...well. If she had to pick just one, she wanted it to be a good one...who knew how the Professors were judging the 'relics'. As such, she almost immediately discarded the pawn. The nature of that piece, used to occupy the opponent and hopefully get a hit in before being destroyed, brought up some very unsavory memories. She moved on to the next piece in line...the black king.

She didn't have any time to put thought into it however. Because a cheerful shout from behind her drew the girl's attention back to her new partner. Yang wore a childish and gleeful grin on her face, as she held up the white knight.

"How about a cute little pony?"

The way Yang said that got a smile and eye roll out of Blake. Her partner was childish...but it was nice in a way.

"Sure," Blake replied, walking over to Yang.

"That wasn't that hard," the teen in question said.

Shrugging slightly, her partner didn't dispute the point, "Well, it's not like this place is very hard to find."

Clearly, that was the truth. They weren't the first to arrive after all. It probably wouldn't take long for the others to find it honestly. Yang had launched herself farther into the forest than anyone else- and had been lucky Blake noticed her when she did -and they had still found it fairly fast after all. Honestly, Blake didn't think it would be any more than a handful of minutes before the rest arrived. Including whoever had used that attack, because it had been pointed in the direction of the temple. As she was about to mention that to Yang, the girl's highly sensitive ears picked up on something. The sound of...a really big bird.

Yang, on the other hand, picked up on something rather easier to hear.

"Some girls in trouble!" the blonde shouted, as a very feminine shriek cut through the forest, "Blake, did you hear that?!"

Oh, she had heard it. But Blake was rather distracted, as she looked up into the sky. The sky, where a _massive_ Grimm was flying overhead. A Grimm with two specks hanging onto its talons...one red and black, the other pure white. Specks that could only be two things...Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. Why in the name of God they were hanging onto _a Nevermore_ was beyond her however. All Blake could do was stare in shock, zoning out to what Yang was saying.

"Blake, what are we going to do?"

All the girl could do in reply to Yang's question, was point up at the sky as the red speck fell away from the Nevermore...

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

Thing had been going so well, Yang reflected. Perhaps too well...nothing had gone wrong from the moment she was launched. She nailed her landing, despite launching herself _further_ than was needed. Sure, she had run into a couple of Ursa. But they hadn't been even the slightest threat, though she was still smarting over the one that cut her hair, regardless of the fact she punched it into a smoldering pulp, taking a dozen trees with it. Blake was a good partner, if a bit quiet. And the two of them had quite easily found the temple, without any backtracking or getting lost. Sure they hadn't been the first and that bugged Yang's competitive side. But she and Blake had still gotten here before most people, if the number of pieces left was any indication. Thus, the blonde was confident in saying her day had been a good one.

Until now.

"Blake, what are we going to do?" Yang asked, turning to her partner as the screams in the distance continued.

All the dark-haired girl did was look up and point up though. Following her finger, Yang felt her eyes widen.

"Heeeeaddddsss uppppp!" Ruby screamed, falling from the sky.

_Ruby...what? How?_

Feeling shock set in, the older girl watched as her sister fell towards the ground. Her already pale complexion was ghost-white with fear, as her eyes widened to what would be- in any other situation -comical proportions. Yang didn't even know how to react...but she was ready to jump to her sister's rescue if she need to. But before she could, a black and orange blur jumped from the forest, and caught Ruby.

The blur landed next to the two partners, who were rapidly blinking their eyes- totally missing Jaune go flying into a tree in the process -as it coalesced into Ichigo, Ruby safely in his arms.

"Next time, try not jumping from so high," the orangehead said dryly, as he set a furiously blushing Ruby on the ground.

As amusing as the situation could have been, Yang just ran up to her sister.

"Ruby!"

"Yang?"

Both of the sisters pulled the other into a hug, one of relief more than anything. At least in Yang's case. She didn't show it, but she _had_ been worried when Ruby was falling from the sky like that. It was a relief to have her okay and on the ground now, a _big_ relief. As such, she turned to Ichigo to thank him for plucking Ruby from her fall. Only for her eyebrow to go up, when she noticed the torn outfit he was sporting. There were clearly cuts on his back, which meant he had gotten in a fight.

Maybe that blue thing _had_ been him?

"Thanks for that Ichigo," Yang shook her head to clear her thoughts as she spoke.

"Eh, no big deal. Couldn't let her hit the ground could I?"

"I would have landed..." Ruby complained.

Shaking her head in amusement now, the blonde ruffled her sisters short hair. The shorter girl complained and swatted at her sisters hand, but all that did was bring a smirk to Yang's face.

"Be more careful next time sis. I don't want Ichigo here to have to save you again!"

The teen in question shrugged, "I'd do it again."

Ruby's face just went redder, "Yang! I can handle myself!"

"So says the person who decided sky-diving without a landing strategy was a good idea," Yang dryly replied.

Before the pair could _really_ get into a play argument, Blake coughed lightly. The dark-haired girl pointed at the forest, where trees were falling to the ground. An Ursa came stomping through the falling foliage, growling all the way. Yang cocked her Ember Celica, as Ichigo placed a hand on his blade's hilt. The pair sent nods at the other, ready to kill the _hell_ out of that Grimm.

...only for a pink explosion to appear behind its head. The Ursa let out a whimper, toppling forward. A girl with red, almost dark orange, hair appeared on top of it, falling forward off the Grimm's back. Yang dropped her arms, and her jaw. She wasn't sure how to react...to the fact that girl had evidently _ridden an Ursa_ to the Temple.

"Aww, it's broken," the mystery girl complained, like the massive monster was a toy.

A panting male stumbled out from behind the Ursa at that point, holding his side as he leaned against the slowly fading Grimm, "Nora...don't ever do that again..."

Yang didn't pay him any more attention after he said that however. Because 'Nora' had just moved like she had Ruby's Semblance- shocking even the girl in question -and was currently staring at a gold chess piece. Trying to process how the girl had gone from the Ursa to the temple so quickly, Yang was beginning to be overwhelmed by everything going on. She hadn't even had time to process the first girly scream, leave alone everything that happened since.

_Can everyone_ please_ calm down?!_

Fate didn't want to go easy on the blonde, however.

"I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" Nora started singing next to Yang, balancing her chosen chess piece on random parts of her body.

"Nora!" the man shouted, clearly just as frustrated as Yang was with the spastic girl.

Who merely dropped the piece off her head and started moving back to her friend, "Coming Ren!"

"Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, sounding like she was trying to make sense of the madness.

"I think so..." Ichigo agreed, sounding dumbfounded by the situation.

Unfortunately, all the 'trying to make sense of things' did was start Yang's temper up. She could feel the volcano of fire building, as she tried to make sense of things herself. Ruby falling from the sky. A girl riding an _Ursa_. And now a _Deathstalker chasing Pyrrha Nikos_ out of the forest. It just never ended! What was she supposed to do about this madness?!

"Jaune!" the redhead in question shouted.

"Pyrrha!" a male voice shouted, reminding Yang of _another_ thing. Namely, the blonde vomit-boy currently hanging from a tree.

Blake didn't help matters, "Did she just run here with a Deathstalker on her tail?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah...whoa..."

Ichigo, at least, seemed to notice Yang's rising temper. He slowly backed away from the blonde, who felt the fire rising faster than she could control it. Growling, she opened her eyes, now blood red instead of soothing lilac. Fire flashed around her, as her hair started glowing. Ruby jumped away, well-experienced with Yang's explosive temper. Ichigo backed further away, wincing slightly. Yang didn't notice the wince of course...she was seeing red, figuratively and literally.

"I can't take it anymore!" the blonde shouted, as fire flew from her body, "Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

"Geez..." Ichigo muttered as Yang slowly calmed down, panting heavily, "Remind me not to get you angry."

"Yang always was like that," Ruby said with a chuckle, before looking up at the sky and frowning, "Umm...Yang?"

Slumping her shoulders, Yang didn't even bother looking up. She was just tired now, and didn't even care. Of course, the shout from above meant she couldn't _completely_ ignore it. Or rather, ignore _her_. Since high in the air, Weiss Schnee still held onto one of the talons of the truly massive Nevermore. The fact she hadn't fallen yet was a miracle.

"How could you leave me?!" her voice faintly reached the ground, as the speck started slipping.

Blake looked at the speck, a hint of amusement in her voice, "She's going to fall."

"She'll be fine," Ruby countered.

"She's falling," Ren didn't even try to hide his amusement at the situation.

For her part, Yang just slumped her shoulders and shook her head. She saw Ichigo crouch down out of the corner of her eye, however, and turned to look at the other teen.

_Is he...going to jump? What is he, a bunny?_

He didn't get the chance though. As Ichigo readied himself to jump- or so Yang assumed anyway -Jaune flew out of nowhere and caught Weiss quite gently for how clumsy he usually was. Of course, he had forgotten one _little_ detail in that plan. Strongly tempted to place her palm in her face like she had seen Ichigo do, Yang sighed softly. Right as Jaune and Weiss seemed to realize that his little save hadn't actually stopped them from falling. Cue screams, as the two fell the remaining distance to the ground. The blonde boy landed first, flat on his face.

Weiss landed second, right on top of Jaune's back, as Pyrrha continued to run from the large Grimm in the background. In any other situation, it would have been all sorts of amusing.

"My back..." Jaune pitifully moaned.

"My hero," Weiss said, casually picking at her nails.

As the pair had their moment of comedy, Pyrrha was finally caught by the Deathstalker. And promptly catapulted towards the others, landing in a heap next to Ichigo. Who looked down, clearly unsure if he should stick a hand out or not.

"Eh...you okay down there?" he asked warily.

The girl just moved slightly, showing she was still conscious at least. That didn't solve the roaming Grimm issue in the slightest however.

"Great, the gangs all here," Yang spoke up, her sarcastic side coming out with her frustration at the situation, "Now we can all die together."

Unfortunately, for all that Ruby knew her sister well, she wasn't the best at detecting sarcasm. Before Yang knew what was happening, her sister had unfurled Crescent Rose, and was staring at the rapidly approaching scorpion with an eager gleam in her silver eyes. Her elder sister knew very well what _that_ look meant. And she felt a cold chill quench the fire of her annoyance, as she knew exactly what Ruby was about to do. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it, as the younger girl started sprinting towards the Deathstalker.

"Yaaaahhh!" Ruby shouted, firing her weapon to increase her speed even further.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang shouted back, eyes widening in a mix of shock and fear for her sister.

She didn't slow down in the slightest however. In fact, Ruby raised Crescent Rose in a way that she was ready to strike, blade pointed at the Deathstalker...while still able to shoot and use that boost for her Semblance. What the younger girl hadn't anticipated, couldn't have anticipated, was that the Grimm was _not_ slow for its size. As Ruby brought her scythe down on its head, the Deathstalker swung one of its claws out. Ruby barely got her blade up in time to take the hit, and was still sent flying a fair distance from the impact. Stumbling to her feet, the girl looked over at her sister and friends. A smile was on her face, like she _hadn't_ just been flung like a toy by a massive Grimm.

"Don't worry, totally fine!"

Even as she said that though, Ruby turned around and saw the Deathstalker rapidly approaching. Realizing the situation she was in, the girl fired Crescent Rose at the scorpions face. And promptly started running away, as the bullet merely bounced off its tough armor.

Yang felt a rush of fear run down her spine, as she started running towards her sister herself, "Ruby!"

The sisters ran towards each other, as both of the massive Grimm in the area focused on the younger one. Yang pushed her legs harder than she could remember ever pushing them, wanting nothing more than to reach Ruby and protect her. But as she ran, the Nevermore folded its wings in front of its massive body, and began flinging its equally massive feathers like missiles.

_No!_

Forced to a halt by the feathers, Yang could only watch as one of them caught Ruby's hood. The younger girl was forced to a halt, as she struggled to pull herself free. Yang crawled forward, pushing through the web of feathers.

"Ruby! Get out of there!"

"I'm trying!"

Even as Ruby said that, Yang knew she couldn't escape. Her hood was pierced to the ground, and the Deathstalker was already swinging its stinger down.

_Ruby! Nononononononononono...Ruby!_

The blonde had only felt this fear once before. The fear of losing her sister...and knowing there was nothing she could do about it. Yang reached her hand out, desperately reaching for her sibling. The ice in her heart grew as the stinger descended...there was nothing...she was going to lose her sister. It felt like the stinger was hitting _her_.

"Ruby!"

Screaming her sister's name, Yang resisted every impulse to shut her eyes. Even as two bursts of wind flew past her, ruffling her long hair. Black and white blurs...that even her fear-soaked mind could recognize as Ichigo and Weiss.

"I gotcha," Ichigo's surprisingly soft and comforting voice suddenly spoke up beside Yang.

Turning her head so fast she almost hurt it, the blonde felt her eyes widen. She hadn't seen him move...but once again, Ichigo had saved her sister. He was gently setting Ruby on the ground, the short girl's eyes squeezed shut in her own fear.

"Huh..." Ruby muttered, slowly opening her eyes, "Ichigo?"

The other teen nodded, "Yep. Didn't I just tell you to be more careful?"

While Yang could admire the fact that the orangehead could make a joke out of even this situation, it didn't stop her from pushing him aside and pulling her sister into a bone-crushing hug. Ruby sputtered, flailing her arms wildly as her sibling squeezed her tightly. Yang didn't care though...what mattered to her, was that Ruby was okay. The pain of not being able to do anything still lingered in her heart, and if hugging Ruby like she might vanish made it better...then hug her sister she would.

"I was so worried!"

"Can't...breathe..."

As her sister's face turned progressively redder- and not from embarrassment this time -Yang finally realized that she might have been holding on a bit _too_ tightly.

"I think she got the point."

Ichigo's typical dry delivery helped too.

"Sorry!" Yang released her sister, leading to Ruby sucking in deep breaths of air.

Coughing slightly, the girl looked at her sister, "I'm fine Yang!"

"Heh..." scratching her head slightly, the blonde felt a flush coming to _her_ cheeks now.

"Oh come on!" Weiss' voice interrupted the moment.

The white haired girl was standing next to the Deathstalker, ice radiating out from where she had stabbed her blade into the ground. The stinger of the massive Grimm was caught in the ice, positioned just high enough it wouldn't have struck Ruby. Despite all the dislike Yang had seen between her sister and the heiress...Weiss would have saved her if Ichigo hadn't been there.

Looks like she'd have to thank Weiss later. At the moment though, there wasn't really time for that. While the girl's ice attack was impressive, it wouldn't hold such a large Grimm for long. And that Nevermore was still circling above them. Staying near the temple wasn't a good idea.

"Weiss?" Ruby was more interested in what the other girl had done, of course.

Stomping over to the little group, the white-haired girl huffed, "I had a speech all ready before orange saved you."

Ichigo scowled, "You're welcome."

Completely ignoring the taller teen, Weiss launched into the speech anyway, "You're childish...hyperactive, dimwitted, and don't even get me started on your fighting style."

"Is this really the time for this?" Ichigo broke in, just getting a glare in return.

"And I suppose I can be a bit...difficult. But if we're going to be partners, we're going to have to work together," the heiress took a breath, before finishing, "So if you stop trying to show off, I'll be...nicer."

With her piece said, Weiss walked back to the temple. Ichigo, Ruby and Yang just looked at each other, then at Weiss, and then back at each other. Not one of them knew how to react to _that_ one. Yang especially, who had expected Weiss to be angry or annoyed at having to save Ruby- leaving aside Ichigo doing it for her. Instead...she had seemed...more worried than anything, hence the rant.

Very odd.

"Guys!" Jaune broke in this time, pointing at the sky, "That thing is circling back around! What do we do?"

"I say we get out of here," Ichigo shrugged.

"I agree!" Ruby pumped her fist slightly.

Yang's eyebrow went up, "You don't want to fight sis? Who are you, and what did you do with Ruby?"

Jokes aside, Weiss scoffed slightly, "Clearly, fighting these is a bad idea. Look, all we have to do is get a relic and return to the cliffs."

"Yeah! That's what I meant," the youngest girl smiled at her sister, "There isn't any point fighting these things."

"Run and live?" Jaune mused, "I can work with that."

As Ruby went to grab her and Weiss' piece- a pony too! -Yang felt a smirk tugging at her lips. It had taken something that would quite likely give her nightmares...but her sister was becoming a leader. Jaune and the others...they had no problem following her. There was no hesitation whatsoever...and it brought a warm feeling back to Yang's heart. A feeling completely unlike the fire of her anger too.

"She's a good leader," Ichigo said, standing beside the blonde.

"Yeah," Yang agreed softly.

Patting his friend on the shoulder, the teenager nodded slightly, "Bet you're proud. And I guess I should pick a piece too. What'd you get?"

The elder sister didn't dispute the 'proud' bit, as she dug around in her ammo pouch and held up the Knight...the pony, "A cute little pony."

"Knight...it fits."

With those words, Ichigo walked past Yang and grabbed a golden Knight himself. As he was the last one to pick his piece, the group gathered together again...right as ominous cracking noises came from the ice encased Deathstalker. Weiss' ice began to shatter from the center where it held the stinger. The muscles in the monsters tail showed visible strain, as it tugged its body to the side. The prison wasn't going to last much longer...

"It's time we go," Ren spoke what everyone was thinking.

"Come on!" Ruby waved, charging up the hill with everyone following her.

Everyone but Yang, who just watched her go with her proud smirk growing. The rest of the teens ran past her, following Ruby who only looked back long enough to wave a hand before she continued past her sister's sight. Blake and Ichigo stopped next to Yang, instead of running right away though. The latter just had a knowing look on his face, as he nodded once before moving on himself.

Blake, by contrast, looked at her partner, "Something up?"

"No, nothing," Yang just smiled again, before going after her sister.

She didn't notice Blake smiling in the background, as the other girl left the temple empty behind her.

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

As the group ran for the cliff, the Nevermore circling above them, Ichigo ran through various plans in his head. The others may not have realized it, but it was clear that the massive bird was _very_ determined to kill them. They had gotten its attention, and Grimm were nothing if not persistent. There was not a chance in hell they were reaching the cliff with it alive...something would have to be done to kill it. Quite likely the same was true for the Deathstalker...that ice wasn't going to hold it forever. Frankly, knowing his luck, Ichigo assumed it had already broken. And if it had, the massive scorpion was going to be close behind. Hence, the reason they would have to find a plan that killed two Grimm with one stone. It was just unfortunate that said Grimm were the largest he had ever seen in person.

Actually killing them was going to take a creative plan. And as he ducked behind a pillar with the sisters, Ichigo acknowledged he didn't have the slightest idea. The area they were in wasn't helping matters. It was nothing but a long cobbled path with ruined pillars on either side, and a massive ruined structure in front of the cliff. It looked more like a temple than the temple they had left...but it didn't help fight the Grimm. There wasn't anywhere to set an ambush, or anything like that. Just wide-open territory.

_"Any ideas Zangetsu?"_

**"Shikai Getsuga to the face?"** the Hollow, unsurprisingly, went for the brute-force option.

_"That would not work,"_ the Quincy countered.

_"Why?"_

**"Yeah, why?!"**

Inwardly amused at agreeing with his Hollow aside, Ichigo didn't know why that plan wouldn't work. Surely these Grimm couldn't survive that attack?

_"The Nevermore is far too agile. It would not be hit by a Getsuga easily. In addition, the Deathstalker armor is tough, perhaps tough enough to survive."_

Ichigo could acknowledge his blade's points. He didn't agree, but he could acknowledge them. There wasn't time to argue however, as the Nevermore landed atop the building in the distance and screeched at an almost earsplitting level.

"Great, now what?" Yang complained, peaking her head out of cover.

"We kil..." Ichigo began, before the sound of snapping trees drew attention away from the bird.

And towards the Deathstalker, thoroughly anger and eager to kill the humans who had dared to disturb it. The scorpion smashed a tree aside, and charged at the students. Who had quickly found themselves boxed in between two massive Grimm, both quite eager to kill them. Just like Ichigo had expected to happen. Expecting it and being happy about it were two entirely different things of course. Scowling in frustration now, he drew Zangetsu and turned towards the Deathstalker.

"Oh man! We need to get out of here!" Jaune shouted, as the orangehead prepared to fight.

'Get out of there' proved to be popular. Everyone made a break for the bridge and ruin, except for Ichigo who moved to cover the retreat. He was aware of the Nevermore screeching behind him and taking flight, but all the teen's attention was focused on the scorpion. That seemed to have recognized _him_ as the greatest threat, if the way it was charging the teen was any indication.

"Nora! Distract it!" Ren's voice shouted from behind Ichigo, followed by the sound of feathers impacting the ground and grenades exploding.

The teenager didn't bother turning his head however. He just brought Zangetsu in front of his body...and flashed at the Grimm. The Deathstalker raised its claws to impale the foolish human attacking it...but Ichigo was nothing if not agile. Twisting his body as he had done against the Ursa earlier, he brought Zangetsu down on the tough Hollow-like armor of the Grimm. The bright blade clashed against the dull-white carapace, sparks flying at first. Gritting his teeth, and ignoring the roar of pain from the Grimm, Ichigo put more strength into his arms.

Zangetsu's blade made a screeching noise...as it cleaved through the Grimm's armor. Dragging his blade across the face of the Deathstalker, Ichigo popped one of its eyes before he was forced to jump back to avoid its stinger.

**"Nice one Kingy!"**

_"That armor is tough..."_

"Ichigo!" Yang's voice broke into the mental discussion, forcing the teen to look over his head. Whereupon he realized that the rest of the group was rapidly approaching the bridge.

While he could have airwalked to the other side if needed, Ichigo didn't want to get separated from the group. So he flashed towards the other students, as Weiss grabbed Nora while Blake and Ren kept the Deathstalker, roaring in pain and shaking its head, busy. Rushing across the bridge, the orangehead angled for Yang, who was waving him on...

_"Ichigo!"_

Only for the Nevermore to swoop out of nowhere, taking out the bridge. Ichigo grit his teeth, as he crossed the remaining distance in a Shunpo...leaving Blake, Pyrrha and Ren on the other side with the now _very_ angry Deathstalker. The other students were showing their own skill, with Ren and Pyrrha accurately targeting the gaping wound in its head with their guns...but the small rounds didn't do anything near enough damage. All they did was make it even angrier- if that was even possible -leading to Blake getting sent head-over-heels into the chasm that was the ruined bridge.

"Blake!" Ichigo shouted, ready to jump off the edge himself...only for a _clunk_ to echo from behind him.

Turning his head, he saw the dark-haired girl flipping up to the bridge, a black cord attached to her gun-sword. She sent him a dry look, clearly saying 'don't worry about _me_'. Allowing his scowl to morph into a small smile, Ichigo nodded and turned his attention back to the Deathstalker as Ruby's gunfire drove the Nevermore off for the moment.

"We have to get over there!" Jaune ran up next to the orangehead, with Nora right next to him.

"Let's do this!" the girl shouted eagerly.

Jaune looked down, "Umm...yeah, but I can't make that jump."

**"Kingy...that grin is freaking _me_ out..."**

Taking his blade's words to heart, Ichigo looked over at Nora. Who indeed had a scary grin on her face. Acting almost on instinct, Ichigo jumped into the air...right as Nora swept her grenade launcher out, knocking Jaune on his ass. Whereupon she promptly transformed the weapon into a hammer, and spun around.

_She wouldn't..._

Flipping back further towards where Ruby continued to fire on the Nevermore, Ichigo winced as Nora brought her hammer onto the ruined bridge, shattering it further. And, coincidentally, shooting Jaune head-over-heels towards the Deathstalker. Nora just _used her hammer as a rocket_, shooting into position to bring it down on the creature's head, cracking its armor further.

Turning away from the roar of pain, Ichigo scowled as the Nevermore circled back around.

_"If we take higher ground, it will be easier to dodge it,"_ the Quincy portion of his blade suggested.

_"Good point."_

It seemed like the others realized the same, as the girls had moved to the circular ring of the central ruin. All of them had their weapons drawn and pointed at the rapidly approaching Grimm, ready to attack.

"Let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang shouted, a hint of eagerness working its way into her voice.

_Everything we've got..._

Ichigo knew Yang didn't know about his Shikai. But if he was going to give this fight more than the bare minimum...it was time to break that out. So as Ruby unfurled Crescent Rose next to him, Ichigo held Zangetsu in front of his body, the blade pointing out at the Nevermore. Blue energy began to roar around his body, getting wide eyed looks from Ruby and Yang, while Blake and Weiss focused on the Grimm.

"What the hell Ichigo! Control your Aura before you blind us more than your sunny hair!" Yang protested, even as she prepared to shoot at the Nevermore.

The teen didn't respond, however, as he opened his eyes, the brown orbs glowing equally blue.

"Cast off your fear and cleave the heavens," he spoke firmly, "Zangetsu!"

Flashing around him in a barely restrained pillar of light, Ichigo felt his power skyrocketing as it was released from the bonds that sealing his blade left it in. It felt..._good_.

**"Damn right! Let's show that bird what happens when he messes with us!"** the Hollow agreed wholeheartedly.

As the smoke cleared, Ichigo could feel the shocked eyes of the girls on him. It was easy to understand. Where before he had held a long daito, unique in Remnant to his knowledge but still fairly _normal_ looking, he now held two blades. Pitch black weapons, one a trench knife, the other a massive khyber knife...though to the girls, it looked like a slim meat cleaver, with a hollowed out portion near the hilt.

For his part, Ichigo didn't even bother looking at his blades. He was as familiar with his Shikai as he was his own arms and legs.

"What...is that..." even Blake had confusion in her voice, as she looked at the weapon.

"I'll explain later," Ichigo replied, "Kill Grimm now, explain my weapon later."

Shaking their heads, the girls didn't dispute the point. Though Ichigo could still feel Ruby's eyes on his swords, well aware that only the Nevermore was keeping her from jumping him and asking a million questions about Zangetsu.

"He has a point," Weiss agreed.

All of them began firing attacks at the Nevermore, blue energy from Weiss, orange-red shells from Yang, purple tracers from Blake and Ruby's colorless rifle fire. For his part...Ichigo raised his larger blade, blue energy once more gathering along it. Then Nevermore shrugged off the concentrated fire from the girls, but Ichigo wasn't going to let it just shrug off _his_ attack. As the energy became almost blinding, he brought Zangetsu down in a sharp swing, saying the same words he had earlier.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Unlike the unstable attack he had used on the Beowolf, this Getsuga was fully and properly formed. The massive crescent of blue energy arced right at the Nevermore, joining the attacks from his partners. The Grimm, while not as smart as the one earlier, was smart enough to recognize the Getsuga as a threat however. It turned its massive bulk faster than should have been possible, leaving Ichigo's attack carving into its flank, instead of its face...just as Zangetsu had said.

Even with that, it managed to do enough damage to send the Nevermore crashing through the ruin, with a screech of pain as blood flew into the air.

"Nice shot!" Yang complimented, before the group felt the ruin shifting beneath them, "Oh shi..."

Before any more could be said, the old stone fell towards the ground, forcing the team to make a run for it. Ichigo lost track of the others in the commotion, as he jumped from stone to stone, using more shunpos than he had in a long time- including his earlier battle.

**"That should have killed it!"**

_"Not the time!"_

Ichigo may have agreed with his blade. But as he jumped onto another portion of the ruin, he suddenly had another issue to deal with. Namely a _very_ angry Grimm that now had a grudge against him. The Nevermore, rising from the canyon, was bleeding heavily from the Getsuga wound. But it wasn't dead...and it screeched louder than ever, as it dove on Ichigo.

Who attempted to pull another Getsuga out, only for the ruins he was standing on to collapse as the bird moved faster than he thought it was capable of. Forced back into the air, Ichigo quickly realized one thing...

_That thing is after me!_

And indeed, the Nevermore was ignoring everything but Ichigo, filled with a single-minded determination to kill the human that had wounded it so grievously. It didn't even react to Yang pumping fire into its flanks. Every bit of the Grimm's attention was focused on killing Ichigo. And it was making it extremely difficult for him to get any hits on it.

_"Attack its flank,"_ Zangetsu suggested.

Not bothering to reply this time, Ichigo pushed his energy into his legs once more, flashing around a lunge from the Grimm. The bird wasn't able to react in time, before he brought his twin blades down on its already injured flank, Getsugas held in the blades to do more damage. The blue coated blades cut through the Grimm's tough skin, carving a cross-shaped gash into its side, wounding it even further.

The bird screeched in pain, bringing its wing down to force Ichigo to back off. Flipping back, Ichigo scowled as the Nevermore stated moving slower. He hadn't killed it, but it was clearly hurt bad.

"One more hit should do it," he muttered, preparing to run forward again.

"Ichigo!" only for Ruby's voice to distract him.

Sparing a moment to turn his head, Ichigo's eyes widened. His new friend was standing atop Crescent Rose, with the rope from Blake's weapon holding her and the scythe up. Weiss had one of her glyph things behind Ruby, and the two teens were aiming _right at him_.

Or, rather, right at the Nevermore behind him.

"Distract it!" Ruby continued.

Shaking his head, the orangehead didn't know how to react other than shouting, "You're crazy!"

"We know!" Weiss agreed.

Crazy plan or not, Ichigo would do his part. If he would have to work with a team, now was as good a time to start as any. So with scowl firmly welded onto his face, he fired another Getsuga at the Nevermore, clipping its wing as the bird was too wounded and tired to dodge fully anymore. It screeched at him, moving as fast as it was still able in an attempt to kill him once and for all.

_Come on...follow me..._

Ichigo proceeded to use the way it focused its attention on him to draw it towards the cliff. He didn't know exactly what the girls were planning...beyond apparently launching Ruby like a cannonball...but they were aiming in that direction. And so, he continued to launch attacks at the Nevermore, keeping its attention on him and not on the girls. It worked wonderfully, as the bird ran into the cliff when he shunpoed out of the way.

"Yaaahhh!"

And was promptly hit by a flying red rose. Ruby's scythe was large enough that she was able to hook it around the Nevermore's neck, the bird screeching in rage and pain. As Ichigo flashed down next to the girls, a Getsuga still held in his blades if he needed it, Weiss created a row of glyphs along the cliff-face...giving Ruby enough of a boost to charge up the rock with the Nevermore held firmly in her scythe's blade. Casting a quick look at Weiss as the girl fell to her knees from overusing her semblance, Ichigo turned back to Ruby.

Just in time to see her reach the top of the cliff...sending the Nevermore's head flying off its body. The massive bird collapsed to the canyon floor, dissolving with rose petals floating around the cliff. Ruby walked to the edge of the cliff, a grin on her face as she waved down on the other students. Ichigo couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face either...they had taken down two massive Grimm- he had vaguely noticed Nora impale the Deathstalker with Pyrrha's spear through the wound he had created and the others had expanded -all on their own. He had the right to feel proud.

"So...that was a thing," Yang proved to be a master of understatement.

Ichigo just nodded, "Yeah...it was."

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you who retrieved the black bishop pieces shall be known from this day forward as team CRDL, lead by Cardin Winchester."

As Professor Ozpin went through the team assignments, Ruby Rose found herself getting progressively more nervous- and excited oddly. She stood next to Weiss, watching as the others went for their assignments. She was nervous, because all the attention was going to be on her soon enough. Sure, Ichigo and the others had helped, but it had been _her_ who killed a Giant Nevermore. Rumors spread like wildfire...everyone was going to want to see the girl who pulled that feat off.

On the other hand, she was very excited too. Now that it had become apparent that teams were assigned based on what pieces were picked, Ruby _knew_ she was on Yang's team. They had both picked Knights, so they would both be on the same team. And that was quite the load off her shoulders, to put things mildly. But, as she looked away from Ozpin, Ruby frowned slightly. Ichigo was standing next to Blake, but they didn't know exactly where he would end up. He had picked a gold pony himself, but the teams were only four people...

_Ichigo..._

Ozpin's voice forced Ruby's attention away from her new friend and back to the stage however.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie," the grey-haired man said, as the teens in question walked to the stage, "You retrieved the white rook pieces. From now on, you are team JNPR."

Nora jumped onto Ren at that, getting the man to smile slightly at his hyper friend. Ruby was happy for her own friend on the stage...Jaune seemed to get along with his team.

"Lead by...Jaune Arc."

There was silence for a second, before Jaune looked at Ozpin like he had misheard, "Wait...what?"

The Professor just smiled, "Congratulations young man."

"Go Jaune!" Ruby shouted herself, a wide grin crossing her face. And a giggle leaving her body, when Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful shove...and promptly knocked him to the ground.

Her giggle came to a quick end however, when Ozpin began calling _her_ team up to the stage. She could have sworn his eyes focused on her again...what was it about her that got his interest? He did the same thing with Ichigo. And Ruby didn't have the slightest clue why. At least Ichigo had that _awesome_ weapon of his to get attention. She was just...Ruby...nothing more.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long," here Ozpin paused, before continuing, "and Ichigo Kurosaki. You retrieved the white knight pieces. Ordinarily, the teams would only be four students each. However, this semester we have had a surprise- and odd number of students, due to Mr. Kurosaki's unique skills. As such, you will be known as team RWBIY, our first five student team."

Ruby blinked, and looked at Ichigo, who for his part, looked just as shocked as she was. He hadn't known about this? But if he got into Beacon in a special way like she had...wouldn't he have expected this? Unluckily for Ruby's question-filled mind, the Professor wasn't finished laying shocks on her either. As she walked up with the rest of the team, Ozpin looked directly at it's youngest member. The black-red haired girl blinked her silver eyes, wondering why he was.

"And you will be lead by...Ruby Rose."

Feeling her mouth drop open, Ruby didn't know how to react to that.

_I'm the leader? But I'm new! I can't..._

Shaking her head, the girl pushed those depressing thoughts from it. Instead, she felt a small squee leave her mouth. Fear aside, she was _soooo excited!_ She was a team leader!

For their parts, her team had drastically differing reactions. Weiss looked shocked and a bit annoyed- nothing new there. Blake just smiled slightly. Ichigo looked much the same as Blake, though he nodded slightly, his eyes carrying a 'you deserve it' look. Yang...

"I'm so proud of you!"

Well, Yang predictably grabbed her sister into a tight hug. Ruby returned the hug, the excitement starting to overwhelm the shock and nervousness.

_I'm a leader! This is so awesome!_

As Ruby began to embrace the joy and honest excitement she felt, Ozpin smiled in the background.

"I have the feeling this is going to be an interesting year..."

* * *

**AN: There we go. It was the Yang part that really contributed...that part exploded out of control. Fun to write, but a lot longer than intended at the same time. As for the battles...inexperience is hurting me here. I'm not satisfied with them, but there wasn't much more I could do.  
**

**The Nevermore fight was something I went back and forth on several times. Do I keep it similar and have everyone get the licks in despite Ichigo being there? Do I have him oneshot the thing since he probably could? In the end, I went for a more balanced approach...team RWB(I)Y still got their moment of awesome teamwork, but Ichigo was enough of a threat the bird focused on him most of the time.**

**I wasn't able to show the Deathstalker bit because of my focus on one character though. Will work on that.  
**

**Reviews: **

**Drake93, The Digger92, duskrider, hollowichigo12, Friaku, liberty86, Single Silver Eye, HollowMugetsu, xbox432, IchiFell, Guest1, Cf96: **Thanks for the reviews!

**yiggdrasill:** Yeah, it was like a punch in the gut. In all fairness to Monty though, he was the creator and head animator...but not the head writer. If RT wants to pull through, they have enough notes to manage continuing.

**P-and-P:** In order of questions:

Yes.

Every Friday, barring something coming up- like Monty passing.

RWB(I)Y

No OCs if I can avoid it, honestly.

That's a plot point that will come up later..._much_ later

Similar maybe, but not the same.

**PersonaQeminod1:** As mentioned in the last review segment...no Bleach characters any time soon.

**Assault Godzilla:** Good to have you here! And yeah, it wasn't easy to hear about. All I can hope is that RT honors his memory by keeping RWBY going.

**blackdeath34:** As previously mentioned, no harem.

**Bl4ze77:** See above on harems. No lemons either for much the same reason...not comfortable writing it.

**firegodvargas:** Kenpachi? What did RWBY-verse do to deserve _that_? In all seriousness though, as above, no Bleach people beyond the Kurosakis will pop up anytime soon.

**humbertorojo96:** I have plans on how Ichigo's abilities effect people around him, yes. As for Zangetsu...well, that was a mistake on his part. Hence Ichigo himself saying 'I should have managed it without jabbing you in a tree'.

**Dark-heika:** Yep.

Also: Heh, Grimm/jow.

**Guest2:** Kisuke will pop up in a flash back...much further into the story.

**AN:** **Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**


	5. Class

**AN: ...this story is lending itself to longer than average chapters. Over 8k for this one, in fact. I would say not to expect anything above 4k for an average, but eh, who knows at this point? Hope everyone enjoys it!  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

Yawning slightly, Ichigo Kurosaki returned to his new room from his early-morning training. When he had left, all the girls had still been out like lights. Probably exhausted from yesterdays events really. That, and he was well-used to getting up so early. If one had a father who enjoyed waking his son up at the crack of dawn with flying kicks to the face...you got _really_ used to getting up early. Taking advantage of that to do some physical training had just become second nature to the teen, after he had realized going back to sleep was pointless. He was just lucky he was quiet enough not to wake up his team, who likely as not, _wouldn't_ enjoy being woken up at the crack of dawn. Now, if he could just manage to keep pulling that off...

_What are they doing?_

Walking towards the door into his room, Ichigo could hear the sound of rustling around inside it. Clearly, the rest of the team was up and about now. Though he had no idea what they were doing. He was almost hesitant to open the door, in fact. Knowing Ruby and Yang...this could be fun. Sighing slightly, he pushed the door open, and almost knocked Ruby on her ass...again. The team leader blinked, as she ducked out of the way. The look of confusion turned into a wide grin soon enough though.

"Ichigo! Where have you been?!" she shouted, eagerness in her voice, "We've been decorating without you!"

"Decorating?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrow rising up.

"Unpacking," Weiss clarified, getting a pout from Ruby.

"Oh, that makes sense. I don't have much stuff myself though."

Blake walked by, holding a stack of books in her arms, "Probably a good thing. The room is getting crowded."

Blinking his own eyes, Ichigo looked past Ruby and at the room. Yang was placing posters on the wall, while Weiss was adjusting a painting. The biggest thing to notice, of course, was that the books in Blake's arms were only a small portion of the ones in the room. The walls were _lined_ with the things...did she pack a library?

"I can tell," the teen deadpanned, "How are we fitting everything in here?"

There was silence at that question. Weiss looked around, frowning slightly as she did so. Blake set her books down, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the already crowded room. Yang paused after putting up her poster, a thoughtful look on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. Ruby just blinked, and frowned slightly. For his part, Ichigo sighed and planted his face in his palm. Clearly they hadn't put thought into how to fit everything in the room. He could admire the eagerness at least...

"It is getting crowded," Weiss muttered.

Yang frowned, "Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff?"

"Or we could ditch the beds?" Ruby suggested.

Ichigo looked at his leader with a deadpan look, "Ditch the beds?"

A determined glint had come into the short girls eyes at that statement, in addition to a wide grin crossing her face, "And replace them with bunk beds!"

Again, there was a moment of silence before Weiss frowned from next to her own bed. She didn't look happy about the idea. Then again...in the short time he had known her, Ichigo had never _really_ seen her happy. So maybe that wasn't something new.

"That sounds incredibly dangerous," the heiress finally said.

"And super-awesome!" Yang countered, proving that she was Ruby's sister with an almost identically excited tone as the leader.

"It would be efficient," Blake mused.

The only question Ichigo had was how they could manage bunking the beds. Or, more appropriately, bunking the girl's beds, since his own was pushed in a corner already, the room clearly not meant to hold a fifth person. Leaving that aside, he still didn't have any idea how to bunk the other four however. The beds weren't designed that way, and just sticking them atop each other was neither enough space to sleep, or very safe. Which might mark the first time he had actually agreed with Weiss on something.

**"That's a shocker."**

_"Quiet you."_

Focusing back on the others, Ichigo could tell that Weiss wasn't going to win however. Ruby and Yang both had the glint in their eyes that he recognized from his own sister, Karin. And when his sister got that look in her eyes...nothing and no one was going to stop her from getting what she wanted. Considering that Ruby _and_ Yang had the same look...well, Weiss was outmatched here. Which was mildly amusing, actually.

"Well, I say we put it to a vote!" of course, that didn't mean the heiress was about to give up.

"I think we just did," Ruby replied slyly.

Turning his head to look at the others, Ichigo was inclined to agree. Blake held a thumb up, looking at least unopposed to the bunk-plan. Yang had flat out thrown up devil horns, an eager grin on her face. A grin mimicked on Ruby's, as she looked smug. Weiss just stuck her tongue out and stomped her foot. But she was outvoted here...even if Ichigo helped her out, it was still three-to-two. So he just shrugged, and started walking towards his own bed, which naturally wasn't going to be bunked.

"Eh, have fun. I'll be unpacking."

The moment he finished saying that, the girls shot forward and started messing with the other beds. Ichigo just ducked out of the way, and started unpacking his own things. Not that he had been lying when he said he didn't have much. Just some clothes for the most part. Though he did have a couple personal items. Books for example...mostly compilations of Shakespeare's works his father had brought to Vale. And that Ichigo was half-convinced Blake would steal from him before the semester was out. There was also the guitar that had been made for his thirteenth birthday.

And, one final thing that he was far more careful with unpacking. A small wooden box, containing the last thing he had from his mother. Ichigo carefully placed it on his desk, running a hand along the rough wood, tracing the dull blue cross carved into it. A wistful look came over his face, one that would certainly have lead to questions were the girls not busy with bunking the beds.

"Objective, complete!" Ruby's pleased comment drew his attention away from the box.

Eyebrow rising once more, Ichigo felt like laughing. Blake and Yang had gotten creative with the overflowing of books the former had...placing stacks of them to elevate Yang's bed up somewhat. It looked stable even!

Weiss and Ruby though...

"Is that held up by ropes?"

"Yup!" the girl in the hood replied, grin not once leaving her face.

Ichigo just turned to look at Weiss, who looked just as dubious for what it was worth. The white-haired girl just sighed, as she shook her head.

"I still say this is dangerous."

"I think it's awesome!" Ruby countered.

_I'm just glad my bed is away from those..._

Shaking his head slightly, Ichigo held in a laugh. This was certainly going to be an interesting year with these four. At least it wouldn't be boring. Then again...classes could end up being boring. This was the first time he had been in a class room in years, and he wasn't really looking forward to it. Nothing to do about it though. Sighing slightly, he moved to pull out his schedule and figure out exactly what the first class was. Ruby beat him to the punch though, pulling out a journal from nowhere. The girl plopped down on her bunk, sending it swaying on its ropes.

"For our next mission we have..." Ruby shouted, eager as ever, before she drooped down slightly, "Classes."

Not even bothering to hold in a laugh this time, the shinigami just shook his head, "Well, it _is_ a school."

"I know that!" the redhead stuck her tongue out, "Now, we have a few classes together today. First one is at nine..."

Weiss gasped, her blue eyes widening to almost comical proportions, "Did you say nine?"

Ruby blinked, "Um...yes?"

"It's 8:55 you dunce!"

The moment she finished saying that, Weiss flashed out of the room so fast Ichigo wondered if she could shunpo. The other girls looked out of the door, before Ruby frowned.

"Uh...to...to class!"

Shooting out of the door, the rest of team RWBIY ran to class. Ichigo just shook his head as he did so.

_This is off to a great start._

* * *

**Weiss Schnee**

* * *

_I cannot _believe_ this is how my first year starts!_

Unconsciously mimicking Ichigo- though without the sarcasm -Weiss dutifully wrote down notes. Her elegant hand moved in quick, precise lines, befitting her status as the heiress of the Schnee family. Her handwriting was impeccable, not one wasted stroke or marred line to be seen. This was not why Weiss was feeling like snapping her pencil however. Nothing she was doing was the source of her annoyance, in fact. Everything she was doing was what she should be, and she was doing it _well_.

No, what had her progressively more and more angry, was the girl sitting next to her, and the boy sitting on the other side of her. Ruby, their oh so glorious leader, was alternating between snoring away and scribbling who knew what on her paper. Neither befitting a student of Beacon, leave alone the leader of a team. She was younger, but that didn't give Ruby an excuse to act like a kid!

And Ichigo...he just acted like he didn't care for the studies. He leaned back in his chair, his tie undone and his shirt untucked. While the orangehead wasn't outright ignoring Professor Port like Ruby, he was clearly not paying any real attention. He hadn't written one thing in his notes, or so much as acknowledged the Professor teaching below him.

Needless to say...

_Am I the only one here to learn?_

It was driving her temper up a wall.

"...and that's where we come in," Professor Port was saying, "Huntsman...Huntresses..."

Even Weiss felt like groaning when the Professor winked at Yang. Who, for her part, just looked creeped out.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves," Port continued, "From what you may ask? Why, the very _world_."

There was silence at that statement, before a boy further back in the lecture hall jumped to his feet, pumping his fist in the air, "Yep!"

Sighing, Weiss tried to ignore the way everyone focused on the guy, who sat back down quickly. It was nice to see someone else who was actually _paying attention_ to the lecture. She just wished it was someone who didn't act like a male Ruby. That would have been nice.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a tale about a young, handsome man," the Professor paused, before his impressive mustache twitched upwards, "me!"

_He can't possibly be serious..._

Unfortunately, Port was very serious. The older man launched into a tale about his exploits, one that made even Weiss feel her eyes start drooping. She was determined to pay perfect attention and take perfect notes...but the man was _so boring_. His words began to blend together, making it difficult for the Schnee heiress to pick out what he was saying. Considering how hard she was trying to _not_ be like Ruby, that was saying something.

Fighting the urge to let her eyes just drop shot, Weiss turned away from the Professor and towards her 'fearless' leader. Ruby was giggling as she scribbled away on her paper, and that alone was enough to make an elegant white eyebrow climb up. Ruby giggling was _never_ a good thing...Weiss knew that after just knowing the girl for two days.

_What is she doing now?_

"Despite smelling of cabbages..." Port continued in the background, as Ruby finally held up her paper.

And promptly blew a raspberry, while holding up a crude sketch of their Professor with 'professor poop' written under it. Weiss turned her coldest glare on her partner, as Yang held back a giggle in the background. Even _Ichigo_ snorted, and he was supposed to be the serious one!

_She is such a child!_

Port seemed to agree, as he looked at the students laughing with a vaguely disapproving look on his face.

"Ahem," he coughed, "in the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity. I returned to my village with the beast in a cage and my head held high...celebrated as a hero."

Finishing his story, the portly Professor bowed to the class, clearly expecting a positive reaction. Weiss at least nodded respectfully. The rest of the class? Either snoring away, goofing off, or just acting uninterested. In order, that was most of the class, Ruby, and Ichigo. All of which were pushing the Schnee heiress to her breaking point rapidly.

Of course, Port didn't notice his angry student, "The moral of the story? A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be honorable, well-educated, and wise. Now, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Her temper finally snapping as Ruby completely ignored and did the opposite of everything the man said, Weiss shot her hand in the air. If her leader was going to be a stupid child who couldn't even pay attention in a class, then she would prove why _she_ should be the leader. After all, the Schnee heiress had trained her whole life for this. She wasn't going to let some _child_ who shouldn't even be in Beacon upstage her any more!

"I do sir!"

Smiling slightly, the Professor nodded, "Very well. Step forward, and face your opponent."

Weiss just scoffed, and left to change into her combat skirt and grab Myrtenaster. A single Grimm was no threat to her, especially not one in such a small cage. As such, she purposely ignored Ichigo moving forward in his seat, like he wanted to take her place. That orange-haired miscreant may have been powerful, but he had no technique. And she was going to show everyone how good _her_ technique was.

_I should be the leader...and this will show them all why!_

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

It didn't take her long to change and grab her weapon, before the girl was back in the room. Holding her rapier in front of her body, Weiss took a breath and focused on the Grimm. The cage rattled slightly, but it didn't rattle her spirit. Her team on the other hand...

"Go Weiss!" Yang shouted.

"Fight well!" Blake added, somehow waving a small flag emblazoned with RWBIY on it.

"Be careful," Ichigo said, his deep voice quite different from the rest of the team...in addition to what he said being odd.

Ruby, of course, was the opposite, "Yeah, represent Team RWBIY!"

That last one set Weiss' temper off, reminding her of the fact that this team was both lead by a child, and _named_ after said child. Turning her glare on her 'leader' once again, the girl didn't hold back at all. Ruby had to get it through her head that Weiss could handle herself, and stop distracting her. As such...

"Stop distracting me Ruby!"

The girl flinched back, her silver eyes looking at the floor, "Sorry..."

Electing to ignore the girl, Weiss focused back on the Professor and the Grimm cage. Port had the old weapon that had been mounted on the wall in his hand now, the axe-gun poised next to the cage. Sucking in a breath to steady her breathing, Weiss nodded slightly. Port nodded back, not one sign of what he was thinking on his face. She almost envied the man that...wearing a mask was something she had to do most of her life, and it had never been such a perfect poker face. Pushing that thought from her mind, the heiress raised her rapier.

As the Professor raised his own axe, "Alright...let the match...begin!"

And promptly brought it down on the lock. Revealing a Boarbatusk, snarling at the teen. Weiss grimaced ever so slightly. This was a Grimm she had never fought before...

That immediately charged right at her! Swinging Myrtenaster at the Grimm, the heiress was forced to roll out of the way, as her weapon merely ran along its tough armor. That would have killed a Beowolf...but this Grimm was not so easily dispatched. It came to a halt, snarling and stamping its feet as Weiss raised her weapon once more.

"Hang in there Weiss!"

Now if only Ruby would shut up...

_Gotcha._

Shooting forward herself this time, Weiss moved to meet the Boarbatusk mid-charge. If she could just pierces its armor- or maybe an eye -she could kill it with a strike to the brain. Precision...it was her style. Unfortunately, that would not work this time. As Weiss' weapon impacted on the Grimm's skull, it promptly bounced off and got caught in the tusk that gave the monster its name. The Grimm punched its skull forward, sending Weiss into the air. Grunting in pain, the girl came back down, and attempted to pull her weapon free.

But it was jammed in the creature's tusk, and the Boarbatusk was _not_ letting go.

"Come on Weiss, you can do this!" Ruby shouted.

Turning her head to glare at the annoying girl again, Weiss gasped as the Grimm shook its head even more fiercely than before. It sent her flying, and her weapon flying in the opposite direction. Rolling to her knees, the heiress grimaced as she realized she was defenseless now, beyond her Aura.

"Oh ho! What will you do now, without your weapon?"

Port was not helping.

_Damn...stupid move Weiss!_

Looking up, the white-haired teen gasped as the Boarbatusk charged at her once again. Rolling out of the way, she didn't pay it any mind as it crashed into the surprisingly tough bench. Sprinting to Myrtenaster, she grabbed her rapier and crouched down as the Grimm shook its head and turned in her direction once more. Trying to focus on forming a glyph, Weiss was distracted _again_ by her very unhelpful leader.

"Weiss! Aim for its belly, there's no armor there!"

Finally snapping, Weiss turned to the younger girl, "Stop telling me what to do!"

Ignoring the kicked puppy look Ruby took on or the glare Ichigo sent her way, the heiress focused on the Grimm...that had rolled itself into a ball and started charging at her again. For what she planned on being the last time. As the Grimm reached her, Weiss focused her power and formed two glyphs. The first was a shield, that the Boarbatusk promptly bounced off and fell to the ground.

As that happened, Weiss jumped up towards the second, using it to shoot herself down on the vulnerable belly of the Grimm. Myrtenaster speared through the thinner skin, killing it instantly as the girl slumped against it. She used up more energy than she had meant to...

_It's over...I won!_

More energy or not, she had beat the Grimm.

"Bravo! Bravo! It is clear we are in the presence of a true huntress in training!" Port seemed genuinely happy she had done so, "Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for today. Be sure to study the assigned readings, and remember...stay vigilant!"

The moment the Professor finished talking, Weiss placed her blade on her hip and stormed out of the room. As the joy of victory subsided, the frustration of the day quickly returned. What did it matter if she had won? It shouldn't have pushed her so hard or taken so much time. It wall because Ruby kept distracting her! If their child of a leader had just shut up during the match, Weiss could have won within the first two strikes. She wouldn't have lost her weapon. She wouldn't have depleted her aura absorbing those blows.

She wouldn't have...

"Weiss!"

Sighing out of frustration, the girl turned her head. Unsurprisingly, it was Ruby, who looked more than a little put out.

"What?"

Ruby blinked at the annoyance in her partner's tone, before plowing on like usual, "What's wrong with you...why were you being so me..."

Temper fraying once more, Weiss didn't bother to keep any annoyance out of her voice anymore.

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_? You're supposed to be a leader! But you've just been a nuisance!"

"What did I do?" the other girl genuinely didn't seem to understand, which just annoyed Weiss more.

Scoffing lightly, the heiress laid into her team leader, "That's just it! You've done _nothing_ to deserve your position. In the forest, you acted like a child! And you've continued to do so."

The younger girl clearly didn't know how to react. Weiss had little patience at the moment though, so even the downtrodden look in Ruby's eyes didn't do much to sway her. This was frustration that had been building up ever since the younger girl was appointed team leader, and it wasn't going to go away just because said girl had puppy eyes. No, it wouldn't go away as long as Ruby was the leader. And since that wasn't likely to change any time soon...well, it just wouldn't go away any time soon.

"Weiss...where is this coming from?" Ruby's voice sounded just as downtrodden, "What happened to all that talk about teamwork? Working together? I thought you wanted to work together as a team?"

"Not a team lead by _you,_" and there was the crux of the issue, "I've trained and studied, and frankly, I deserve better."

"Yeah right," a male voice broke in.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Weiss knew exactly who _that_ was, without even looking. The tone of voice could only be one person after all, not to mention the disrespectful tone it held. There was only one man she knew who would talk like that, and it was Ichigo Kurosaki. Who, when Weiss looked, was leaning against the wall. The perpetual scowl that never seemed to leave his face was deeper than usual though, and aimed directly at _her_ as opposed to it just being on his face.

Which didn't make a whole lot of sense, since if anything, Ichigo should be every bit as annoyed with Ruby as she was. Considering the way the girl acted and all.

"You need to stop being such a jerk," Ichigo continued.

"I am _not_ being a jerk!" Weiss protested, "I just explained why I'm angry!"

The other teen shook his head, "By being...a jerk. I get it, you don't like working with someone else...I'm the same way. You have to earn my respect before I'll follow someone."

Ruby was looking between her teammates, a confused look on her face. Weiss just ignored it, and settled for turning her glare on the taller teen. He may say he understood, but he _clearly_ didn't!

"And _what_ has she done to gain my respect?"

"Coming up with the plan to kill the Nevermore? _Killing_ the Nevermore?" Ichigo replied, "The fact Ozpin chose her for a reason?"

Realizing that arguing would be pointless, Weiss spun around, "Ozpin made a mistake."

And with that piece said, she walked away from the others. If they couldn't understand her position, she would just have to find someone who _did_.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Fairly soon after leaving the others behind, Weiss came upon someone she thought would take her side in her dispute with her 'leader'. Namely, Professor Port. The man was boring and a braggart, but at least he was a Professor who _wasn't_ named Ozpin. Maybe if she could convince Port that she should be team RWBIY's leader, he would take her complaints to the Headmaster? Surely if the heiress could get support from a respected Professor that would be enough to convince Ozpin to change her to be the leader. After all, she was _far_ more well-suited for the task than Ruby was. And naturally, Port would see her point!

As such, Weiss walked up to the Professor, straightening her shoulders and doing her utmost to look professional.

"Professor Port!"

"Ah, miss Schnee!" the portly man turned around, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Grimacing slightly as he mangled her last name, Weiss plastered a smile on her face as she looked at the older man, "I enjoyed your lecture!"

"Of course you did," Port smiled, "You have the blood of a true huntress in you!"

Perking up slightly, Weiss smiled herself. For all her 'high and mighty' tendencies, the girl did enjoy getting compliments that were genuine. And the Professor seemed quite genuine with everything he said. That being said...

"You really think so?" it wouldn't be _Weiss_ if she didn't make sure on everything.

Port just smiled again, "Of course! Something is troubling you?"

The sudden change in topic had to do with Weiss' face falling slightly. Evidently, for all his bombastic tendencies, Port was at least observant enough to notice that she was having issues. Of course, those issues had nothing to with him _or_ her, but the point remained. She was certainly not in the best of moods after all. But how to explain that...she didn't want Port thinking she was just complaining for the sake of complaining. Weiss was never one to do something so trivial after all!

No, she had to make clear that she was coming from a valid viewpoint. Port would only help her if he saw that much.

"Yes sir..."

Of course, she suddenly had to feel nervous about it.

"Dear child, confess to me your strife!" Not that Port seemed to care...

Rallying her nerves, Weiss looked up at the older man. He suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating, up close like this. But she was a Schnee...nothing could keep her intimidated for long. Or, so she told herself anyway.

"I think I should be the leader of team RWBIY!" Weiss got out.

Port merely looked down on her, before saying bluntly, "That's preposterous."

_Wait...what?_

It didn't take long for Weiss' temper to return in full force after hearing that statement. Not even a 'maybe you should think about it'. Or a 'well, maybe that's true'. He just shot her down without even thinking about it? What kind of Professor did that to a student? Maybe she would have been better off appealing directly to Ozpin after all, if Port was just going to shoot her down with no hesitation like that!

"What?!" she complained.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years," Port sounded nostalgic, "And he has never once lead me astray."

Apparently the man was too much of a fan of Ozpin to see Weiss' point. That was _wonderful_.

"So you'd just blindly follow him, even after you've seen how exceptional I am?"

If Weiss expected that to garner any sympathy, she wasn't going to be happy. Port just raised an eyebrow slightly, the look making Weiss bristle slightly. It was simultaneously disapproving and pitying. Not a good combination, especially not when directed at _this_ girl. Weiss had seen enough looks like that in her life, and she didn't want to see more. Port didn't seem to agree however, as the look never left his face. He seemed quite determined to make her see something, in fact. What though...

That, Weiss didn't know. Surely he didn't believe Ozpin _that_ much, right?

"With all due respect, your exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by your poor attitude."

And now the temper returned with a vengeance. Weiss glared at the Professor, placing her hands on her hips as she scoffed at the man.

"Excuse me?!"

All the answer the man needed to that statement was a dry, "My point exactly."

It wasn't all Port had to say however. Without once changing expression, he continued to talk to the girl in front of him.

"I see before me, a girl who has had everything handed to her, her whole life."

"That's not even remotely true!" Weiss countered immediately.

Port just continued to stare at her, making the girl feel progressively more uncomfortable. It was like he was looking past everything she said or acted like. It was not a nice feeling. And the thing was...she would never admit it, but both her and the Professor were right. Weiss hadn't exactly had a pleasant childhood, but it wasn't because she didn't have whatever she wanted. So in a way, Port was right in that regard. Not entirely right, but he was closer to the mark than she would have liked. It made her uncomfortable, and it was not a good thing.

How was she supposed to react? Tell the truth? There wasn't a chance she was going to tell the Professor about her childhood. She wouldn't tell _anyone_ about that.

So instead...

"Well, not entirely true."

A half-truth would have to suffice.

"Things did not fall in your favor," Port continued, seeming to accept what Weiss said...or, at least, understood not to prod further, "Do you really think acting in such a manner will make those in power reconsider their decision?"

Ichigo's words came back into Weiss' head at that. Had she been acting so much like a jerk that even Port picked up on it? And for all her annoyance at the other girl...had Ruby really deserved that? Truly deserved it?

"Instead of complaining about what you have, savor it. Instead of being the best _leader_, be the best _person_ you can be."

With that finished, Port walked off, leaving Weiss with her thoughts.

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

"That could have gone better," Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Ruby just looked at the ground, her mood thoroughly deflated. The day had been going so well. They had all had fun decorating the room. Even Weiss had seemed like she enjoyed it! Sure, they had almost been late to class but everyone had seemed happy in the morning. Even Ichigo had smiled more than he had scowled today. But then they had reached class. A boring class, even for Ruby who had her share of boring classes back at Signal. Was it really her fault she had to goof off to keep herself from falling asleep? Yang had done the same thing!

But Weiss had treated it like it was a horrible thing. Ruby knew her partner was serious...but so were Blake and Ichigo. Neither of them had acted so mean just because she wanted to have some fun...

"Indeed."

Another male voice had Ruby turning around, seeing Professor Ozpin towering above her.

"Yo," Ichigo nodded to the Professor.

"Was she right sir?" Ruby asked instead, "Did you make a mistake?"

"That remains to be seen," Ozpin replied.

A shrug came from Ichigo too, "I don't see a mistake here."

It wasn't an understatement to say Ruby didn't know how to react to that. She blinked, looking between the men in front of her.

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, the question directed at both Ichigo and Ozpin.

The other teen just shrugged again, "Like I told Weiss, and Yang for that matter, I think you can be a good leader. You act your age which annoys Weiss, but eh, it doesn't bother me. Just do what you've been doing and I'll follow you."

And now Ruby was wondering when Ichigo and her sister had talked about her leadership abilities. The two hadn't been left alone that she knew of...when did they have the chance? Back at the temple maybe? Not to mention them talking about her brought a small flush to her face.

"And while I have made more mistakes than anyone on this world," Ozpin broke into the girl's thoughts, "I do not consider your position one of them."

As he said that, Ozpin leaned forward. His eyes looked into Ruby's, clearly searching for something. It made her a little bit uncomfortable to be honest...what was it about this man that always made it seem like he knew more than he was letting on?

"Do you?"

Ruby didn't know how to respond to that question. Sure, she liked being the team leader, she really did! It was awesome and fun, and...so many other things she couldn't adequately describe. But Weiss...she seemed so angry about it. The other girl wouldn't be that angry without a good reason, would she? Weiss had never been really nice since Ruby met her, but that didn't mean she'd get this angry without a reason right? That doubt was nagging at her, even as she still held the joy of being trusted to be a leader.

Ichigo's support was helpful there. He was blunt as ever, but Ruby really _did_ appreciate his words. It was soooo nice to have someone who believed in her other than Yang. She loved her sister, but having someone else was such a novel experience!

Ozpin broke into her thoughts again however, leaning back from the girl, "Being a leader is not just a title you carry into battle with you. It's a badge you will wear for the rest of your life."

The man had an almost barely-there smile on his face as he looked down on Ruby. Who, for her part, had a determined look cross her face.

"And if you do not perform at your absolute best, what reason do you give others to follow you?"

"And that's why I'm annoyed with Weiss," Ichigo added, "You've done nothing but do your best right?"

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, her energy returning now.

Ichigo nodded, "And that's why you're a good leader. Ice Queen over there just can't see that yet."

Smile not once leaving his face, Ozpin nodded himself, "While I do not condone making derogatory names for your teammates, Ichigo has a valid point Ruby."

That being said, after he spoke that, the Professor turned away. As such, Ruby couldn't see the smile come off his face, replaced by his typical look. All she knew was that he had spoken his piece, and it was up to her to decide how to move forward.

"You've been burdened with a daunting task Ruby. I advise you take some time to consider how to proceed...and not be afraid to lean on others for support."

At that, the oranghead next to the short girl nodded again, "Yeah, I'm here and so are Yang and Blake. Even if it takes a bit, we'll get it in Weiss' head that she's a member of a team now."

There was a reason Ruby liked her team, and that was the main one. They were all so...nice. And cool! Ichigo was blunt and a bit mysterious- the scowl was a bit scary at times too -but he was nice all the same, and seemed to like helping the others. Yang was her sister, and possibly the coolest girl Ruby had ever met. She knew she could always count on her older sibling when she needed her, because it was just in Yang's nature to help her sister. Blake was mysterious like Ichigo, but in a different way. A way that just made her awesome!

Even Weiss was cool in her own way. And looking at the back of the Professor walking away, Ruby decided she would do something to get Weiss to like her...even if it required doing boring studying.

_I want to be her friend. I want all of us to be friends!_

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"Ruby...Ruby..."

_Go away...I'm trying to sleep!_

"You dolt, wake up."

_I want to sleep!_

"You're just doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

_No, I just wanna...wait..._

"Weiss?" Ruby groaned, flipping over on her bed, scattering her pencil and papers.

Indeed, the Schnee heiress was standing atop her own bed, a deadpan look directed at Ruby. Unlike the younger girl, who had changed into her pajamas for her studying, Weiss was still wearing her regular outfit, rapier and all. Which reminded her...how late was it? The last thing Ruby remembered was studying something from Port's class, her sweet _sweet_ caffeine and sugar wearing off. Something that might explain the empty coffee cup laying next to her head come to think of it...

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Ruby focused on her partner. Weiss had something of a deadpan look on her face, as she looked at the leader. That look was better than the angry one she had worn earlier at least. Though Ruby wondered why her partner had woken her up...had something happened?

"I'm sorry...I was studying," Ruby finally said, when the silence became uncomfortable.

"I noticed," the white-haired girl's eyebrow rose elegantly, before she gestured at the empty cup, "How do you take your coffee?"

"I..."

"Answer the question," Weiss sighed.

Ruby flinched back slightly, "Uh...cream and five sugars!"

The eyeroll from Weiss made it clear what the heiress thought about her leader's sweet tooth. She still dropped down, probably to where Ruby had left the coffee machine that Yang had dragged from home. On the subject of her sister however...

_Yang?_

Blinking her large silver eyes again, Ruby noticed her sister's bed was noticeably empty. Blake was sleeping in her lower bunk, but the upper one was empty. Come to think of it, the same was true of Ichigo's bed, stuffed into a corner. Both beds were empty, with no sign of her sister or her new friend. Where could they be? And what could they be...

_Nonononononononono! Bad Ruby!_

Feeling a blush creeping up her face even as she shook her head- Yang wasn't doing anything with a guy she _just_ met -Ruby forced her mind away from those thoughts. It was more important to figure out why they were both gone than what they were doing anyway. Pushing her foggy- having just woken up and all -mind to try and remember when she had last seen the two, Ruby frowned. Ichigo and Yang had both been in bed when she was awake. They had to have left when she was asleep then...

"Here you go," Weiss' voice broke into her thoughts, handing the young girl a cup of coffee.

"Thanks...umm...Weiss..."

Before Ruby could ask about her missing teammates, Weiss interrupted her.

"Ruby...I..." it was clear the girl was struggling to find the right words to use, "I believe you can be a good leader. Just know that I'll be the _best_ teammate you've _ever_ had."

The younger girl couldn't find words to respond to that. Weiss being nice? It brought a smile to Ruby's face, even if she wasn't remotely sure where this had come from.

"Good luck studying," Weiss finished, though she couldn't resist pointing at the paper, "that's wrong by the way."

After saying that, Weiss moved to go to the bathroom, likely to change into her own sleep clothes. Ruby stopped her first though.

"Wait, Weiss," the younger girl hissed, to avoid waking Blake.

"What?"

"Have you seen Ichigo or Yang?"

Weiss frowned, "Not since I left class, no."

Ruby's face took on a frown of its own at that. Where could her sister and friend be?

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

As it turned out, Yang hadn't left _with_ Ichigo...technically. In actuality, she was following the other teen without him knowing. It had just been dumb luck that he left while she was still awake actually, as both Ruby and Blake had fallen asleep by that point. Weiss, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Which was one reason that Yang had followed the taller boy in the first place...because she was curious if he was going to track down their errant teammate or not. She still wanted to give the white-haired girl a piece of her mind for doing that to poor Ruby, after all. Not to mention, thanking Ichigo for helping out...he didn't have to, but Ruby had seemed a lot happier that he did.

Yang just hadn't had a chance to thank him before they all pretty well unanimously decided to go to bed, aside from Ruby who had kept at her studying. Yang would have been proud, if it hadn't been because of Weiss that her sister was doing it. As it sat though...

_I'm going to give Ice Queen a piece of my mind for sure._

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, the girl refocused. She had stopped walking at a door leading outside, onto the roof of the dorms in fact. Yang had stopped there, because Ichigo had gone out that way. She just wasn't sure about going out herself, not until she had some idea what to expect. Then again...

_Screw it._

Since when was Yang Xiao Long one for hesitating? Stepping outside, she was surprised to see Ichigo holding his sword...Zangetsu wasn't it? When had he grabbed that sword? Not to mention he was doing some sort of weird dueling thing with it. The other teen was holding the blade in front of his body, and moving so slow that Yang could perfectly follow his movements. Which was odd on its own, since what she had seen of Ichigo fighting was like Ruby...all speed. The way he was moving was odd too...bringing the sword up, down, around...almost like he was dueling an invisible foe. He would pause occasionally and just hold a pose, and then start moving again too.

It wasn't a stretch to say Yang hadn't seen training- what this looked like -like this before. She herself just punched away at targets. Ruby tended to set up various fruits to slice to pieces or shoot. Just practicing movements with the sword? That was...

"Yang?"

"How the hell..."

Ichigo set his sword on the ground, an eyebrow going up, "I could feel you here. What's up?"

Her own eyebrow going up, Yang frowned, "'Feel me'? Ichigo, I think it's a bit early for that!"

Fighting back a giggle at the way the other teen's face lit up like a streetlamp, Yang moved to sit next to him. Ichigo just grumbled under his breath, sounding suspiciously like 'damn tease'. The blonde just grinned at him, finding it amusing to tease him. Ichigo was so straight-laced that it was amusing to see him flustered.

"What did you mean anyway?" she still asked though.

The other teen sighed, "It's hard to explain. I can feel Auras, everyone is unique. You feel like someone is lighting a bonfire next to me."

"Feel Aura...that's a new one," Yang mused, ticking another box in her mental 'what the hell is up with Ichigo Kurosaki' counter.

A shrug answered that, "Eh, I'm used to it. Always been able to do it, so it's not that odd to me."

"Only you would say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo protested.

Yang just kept up her grin, "You're weird, that's what. Don't worry though, everyone at Beacon's a bit odd. You're just like...super-odd."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."

Giving up on holding back her laughter, Yang held her sides. Ichigo had _the_ driest delivery of anyone she had ever meant. For his part, the teen just had a small smirk on his face, clearly holding back his own laughter. In response, Yang elbowed him in the side, her own chuckles continuing. Ichigo just swatted at her hand, scooting away from the blonde. Shaking her head, the girl just watched him go.

"Anyway, why _did_ you come up here?" Ichigo finally asked again, once Yang had stopped laughing.

"Following you," she shrugged.

An eyebrow went up again, "You're stalking me now?"

Turning a glare on the other teen now, Yang let him know her opinion on _that_ suggestion.

"Right, not stalking me," Ichigo quickly replied, "Seriously though, why?"

"Curious," Yang shrugged, "That, and I wanted to thank you for earlier."

The other teen looked confused at that. Not that Yang could blame him. It wasn't like he had done anything directly to help _her_ after all. Hence, he probably didn't expect her to thank him for anything. That being said, she was being entirely serious in her thanks. Anyone who helped Ruby out helped her out by extension. And this was far from the first time that Ichigo had helped her sister out either. He seemed to be making a habit of it actually...

Not that it was a _bad_ thing, mind you.

"Thank me for what?" the other teen finally asked.

"Helping out Ruby," Yang replied, leaning back against the wall, "I appreciate you doing that for her."

Ichigo just shrugged, "Eh, like I told her, it wasn't a big deal. I'd help any of my friends."

"Good to know. Now, what were _you_ doing?"

Suddenly looking a bit self-conscious, Ichigo sighed, "Training."

_Well, that answered that question_...

"That's not like any training I've ever seen."

"It's called a kata..."

As he said that, Ichigo launched into a description of what he was doing. To be honest, Yang didn't really pay much attention to it. All she got was that it was something meant to make his actions instinctive. A muscle memory thing, or something like that. Useful for the orangehead maybe, but her own techniques wouldn't really benefit from it. Insofar as Yang even _had_ a technique, of course. She had her training, but there was hardly anything formal or rigid about it. Ichigo's seemed to be extremely formal though...odd that, considering it wasn't taught at Signal that she knew of.

It might explain how he was so fast though. If he could hack and slash with that strange sword of his on instinct, that was less time spent thinking about what to do. Which might be useful, in all honesty.

"...anyway, we should probably head back to the room now. It's getting late."

Shaking her head, Yang nodded, "Good point. Wouldn't want you sleeping in."

"I never sleep in," was the dry reply.

"Sure, sure," snapping her fingers, the girl remembered something, "And don't think I've forgotten about that sword of yours! I still want an answer!"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, I know. I'll explain it this weekend, when we have more time."

"Holding you to that!"

"...I know."

* * *

**AN: I feel like the Yang part could be better. Then again, it's my first time really shooting into new material, so it's natural it won't be quite satisfying for me. Which reminds me...the next chapter will be the start of our first little sub-arc. We'll see how that goes.**

**Also: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I never expected this to shoot above 100 for just 4 chapters.**

**Reviews:**

**PersonaQeminod1, senvisal, The Digger92, FluffyDestroyerOfPlanets, Monstrel45, xbox432, duskrider, shugokage, hollowichigo12, Akujiki, Cf96, Bl4z777, liberty86, Dauntless-Bran, JJN37, CrystalCipher, desdelor97, Guest1: **Thanks for the reviews! That may also be the longest list of reviewers I've done...

**yiggdrasill:** Remember, this Ichigo isn't Canon!Ichigo. He's got a different backstory, though it'll be seen only in little bits and pieces for now.

**Drake93:** Yup, pairing was one of the first things I decided on.

**Fifth Horseman:** It's been some time since I've made a real, main focus OC. I figured that Ichigo can carry things differently enough on his own...no need for any OC team. I'm looking forward to the humor that comes with Ichigo 'Prude' Kurosaki being stuck in that room actually.

**LeadStrategist:** As above, Ichigo's backstory will come to light in bits and pieces/hints. He does have the ability to stay in the air, he just doesn't use it...not show everything you can do at once and all. He's already got enough questions to answer about Zangetsu.

**Webb360:** While another reviewer said it well...

It's only been a little over two days in-universe. Yes, Ichigo is friends with 3 out of 4 of his teammates- Weiss is going to join the 'friend' category eventually though -but I don't see how that equals 'harem'. There hasn't been anywhere near enough time for any romantic stuff to pop up.

I'm keeping the pairing secret for a very good reason...it let's me develop it and the friendships more naturally. If people know Ichigo is with *insert girl here* they expect romantic moments. By keeping it a secret, I can develop it without feeling constricted by that.

Masaki is dead, as this chapter hints at.

**lazylegionspark:** Yeah, FF.N was a bit buggy for me too. I could easily see Ichigo helping Jaune, if he ever finds out how bad-off he really is.

**Drunken Sarge:** Glad you like the story! And it's always good to know I'm keeping people in character well.

**Guest2:** It's not a nerf, not really. Like above, this Ichigo is not Canon!Ichigo. His powerlevel is not the same- and I'm not going to reveal exactly how strong he is for some time. That, and the Nevermore is canonically ridiculously tough to kill, _Breach_ aside. This one didn't even get cut by Blake's attack, something that can cut Beowolves clean in two. Yang punched shotgun shells down its throat, and it only made it dizzy.

With where I'm taking Ichigo's power, I can easily see it being able to survive the Getsuga.

**TZJoey:** Yes, there will be a pairing.

**AN: Again, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**


	6. Power of the Soul: Part I

**AN: And here we are with the next chapter. Like I said last time, this'll be our first departure from the canon storyline, as a little side-arc. Little, in this case, meaning 3-4 chapters.  
**

**I'm not really satisfied with this one- granted I'm my own worst critic... -but that's probably because it's set up for the rest of the Arc. Hopefully everyone enjoys it!**

**Also, since it appears to be needed:  
**

_**This story is not a Harem. It has only been a week...no romance should be seen yet, Ichigo just happens to be friends with a group of girls. He will only get with **_**one_ of them...I can throw a bone and say it's a member of RWB(I)Y...but I won't say which one. Suffice to say I've already started developing it...several of the readers have already guessed correctly. I won't confirm it though.  
_**

**There we go. That should hopefully clear up confusion on that end.**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

It had been a week since the initiation, and an interesting week to be sure, at least for Ichigo Kurosaki. It was already odd for him, since he hadn't been formally schooled since he was younger...so many years ago. Having to readjust to a schedule, classes and homework...it was very weird, to put things mildly. It wasn't helping that most of the 'schooling' he had done in the past few years was his old man teaching him how to fight. Or Zangetsu teaching him how to use their powers. Neither were really preparing him for the mind-numbingly boring classes he was stuck with now. Despite Beacon being a school designed to train _hunters and huntresses_, the teen hadn't had one class about fighting yet. Sure, there was the occasional Grimm like Port had brought in...but it was mostly math, history and things like that.

For all that the schooling was odd in itself, it was equally odd having to shack up with four teenage girls. While Ichigo did have two younger sisters...Karin and Yuzu were just that _younger sisters_. Being stuck in the same room as four girls his age- well, to be fair, Ruby was younger -left him almost constantly flustered. Getting up earlier than the girls at least meant he wasn't in the room when they were changing into their uniforms. That didn't help a whole lot at night though, when he had to turn his face to the wall lest it become as red as- one of -the meanings of his name.

**"You know you like it Kingy."**

Zangetsu wasn't helping.

_"Shut up you. I'm not a pervert."_

**"Sure ya ain't. Let's see how long that lasts Kingy!"**

_"I give up."_

**"Quitters never win anything!"**

_"I would suggest you save this argument for later,"_ the Quincy portion of Zangetsu broke in, _"I believe that your team may notice and have questions we cannot answer."_

**"Or they'll think you're crazy."**

Breathing a frustrated sigh, Ichigo didn't bother commenting on the fact that if anyone in his head was insane, it was the Hollow. Though what did it say about him having an insane spirit in his body...

"Ichigo?" Ruby's concerned voice broke in, "You okay?"

"Eh?" the orangehead asked, inwardly cursing.

"You zoned out there," Yang replied, "More than usual even."

"Oi, I don't zone out all the time," Ichigo protested.

"You really do," and only Weiss could manage the same deadpan tone that he could.

Turning to Blake, half-expecting her to have some sort of comment too, all Ichigo got was a shrug. Thankful that at least one of his team wasn't grilling him on his little conversation, he turned back to the reason he was here with them in the first place. 'Here' being their room, with him sitting in the middle of the floor, the girls stacked on beds around him. He had finally run out of time and excuses not to tell them about Zangetsu, who's sealed form was currently leaning against his own bed.

Hence, the reason he had all of them staring at him expectantly, too.

"Soooo," Yang continued, "Feel like telling us about that funky sword of yours?"

"You aren't giving me a choice."

"Nope."

That one came from both sisters, who managed to pop the p almost identically. For looking nothing like each other, the two had a lot of similarities that way.

"...okay then," Ichigo sighed, "I don't even know where to start. I'm not good at this damn it!"

"No need to yell," Weiss rolled her eyes, "You can start with why it looks like this, but it didn't at the ruins."

As she said that, the heiress pointed to the daito.

"That's why it's hard to explain," the orangehead sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Okay...I would hope you all know about Aura?"

"Of course," Blake finally spoke up, her look and tone of voice transmitting a 'do you take us for idiots?' signal.

Scowling at the dark-haired girl, Ichigo continued, "Well, Zangetsu is a strange weapon."

**"OI!"**

Wincing internally at the shout from the Hollow, Ichigo resisted the urge to roll his own eyes when Ruby's hand started shooting up and down. She didn't have to hold her hand up like this was a lecture...he wasn't trying to come across as lecturing anyone. He got enough of that from the professors...and Weiss, for that matter. Who had taken to hounding the rest of team RWBIY to study.

"Ruby?" the teen asked, already regretting it.

"It's not strange," the girl began, somewhat breathlessly, "it's _awesome_! That's why I want to know how you do it!"

Yang just shrugged, "I still say it's funky."

Ichigo had to resist every impulse he had to tell the girl what Zangetsu thought of that statement. Or, more appropriately, how he was currently cursing incoherently at Yang. Of course though, he had enough things to deflect, without mentioning his blade had a soul...two souls really.

"Anyway," he said instead, "Zangetsu can change shape because of my Aura."

"That doesn't make any sense," unsurprisingly, Weiss called him out on that, "I could understand if it was your Semblance, though I have never seen or heard of one that changes a weapon. But Aura does not work that way, it merely provides protection, and amplifies an attack if needed."

Running a hand through his hair, the teen sighed, "Normally, yeah. I said Zangetsu wasn't a regular weapon though. Ruby and Yang know what I mean."

"I do?" the sisters asked in unison, getting a giggle from the younger one.

To be fair, Ichigo hadn't actually told them what was special about a Zanpakutō. He had just told them that was what Zangetsu was, nothing beyond that and it meaning 'Soul Cutter'. Ichigo hadn't felt the _need_ to tell Ruby or Yang more than that, since he had stupidly- as the Hollow was currently telling him -assumed that he wouldn't have to worry about questions. Really, he should have known the moment he used his Shikai he would have to explain it. The teen was just lucky that what he _had_ told the sisters gave him an advantage.

After all, if his weapon was already special...

"What are you talking about?" Yang asked, "You haven't told us a thing about it."

"I told you Zangetsu was a Zanpakutō didn't I?"

Blake's eyes narrowed slightly, "Zanpakutō?"

_I thought no one in Remnant knew what one was?_ Ichigo was slightly concerned with his teammates tone of voice there.

_"In theory."_

Almost worried about the answer, the teen turned to his friend, "You know what it is?"

Luckily for him, Blake shook her head, "No, I've never heard of a Zanpakutō."

Well...that was a relief. The last thing Ichigo needed was someone knowing what he was. It was hard enough to deal with _being_ special. Having others know wasn't his idea of a good time. He didn't want to be treated differently, just because of his powers. If they thought a Zanpakutō was just a special type of weapon and not something born from his soul...well, that was better for everyone involved. At least, in his opinion anyway.

"It's hard to explain," Ichigo continued, mimicking his earlier statement, "but a Zanpakutō is a special kind of sword, that my families been using for as long as I can remember."

With Zangetsu- the Quincy portion -feeding him a believable story, Ichigo felt his voice strengthening. He wasn't afraid to admit that his Quincy side was more clever than he himself was. He wasn't _that_ arrogant. Having another mind helping him craft a believable story was a lot easier than doing it on his own, that was sure.

"They look like Zangetsu, but shorter to start. When we learn to use our Aura though...my family starts training with our swords, melding our Aura with the weapon," the teen took a breath, not _technically_ lying, "that's when they start looking like this."

Getting to his feet, Ichigo walked over and grabbed Zangetsu. Drawing the long blade from his sheath, the teen held the sword up, where the rest of his team could see it better. He wasn't about to use his Shikai in the room, but this sufficed for what he needed to get across.

"That doesn't explain the transformation," Weiss spoke up, when it became apparent Ichigo wasn't going to _do_ said transformation.

"I wanted to see it..." Ruby muttered in the background.

Ichigo just smiled ever so slightly at his leader, "Sorry, I don't want to wreck the room. What you're talking about is called Shikai, by the way."

"Shi-what now?" that was Yang, unsurprisingly.

"The release of the Zanpakutō. Like I said, we tie our Aura's into our weapons...weaponizing it, more or less," there was a shrug there, as Ichigo didn't know how to explain it better, "it's normally sealed up, so we aren't wasting our Aura just carrying the thing around. The change in shape is a unique reflection of our Aura. The old man's is like Yang over there, all fire and all that stuff."

"Ooh..." Yang's eyes lit up, "I have to meet this guy."

A shudder came from the orangehead at that statement. The _last_ thing he needed was bringing Yang to his home. He still hadn't told his father about his...rather unfortunate...sleeping arrangement. If he brought _Yang_ back home, the old man would probably make some perverted jokes. Insist that she was his newest daughter, or something stupid like that. If there was one thing Ichigo knew, it was that his old man was just that stupid. And really, the last thing he needed was the old man trying to hook him up with his teammates. Which he would probably do no matter who he brought over. Yang's choice of clothing just didn't help matters there.

He could be forgiven for hiding his situation from the old man, really. Zangetsu was bad enough.

"Can anyone do that?" Blake sounded unusually curious, for her at least, "Blend their Aura and weapon?"

"..."

"Well?"

The teen sighed, "I don't know. Like I said, Zanpakutō are made for this...I don't know what other weapons can do."

_"They cannot make a Zanpakutō without an Asauchi,"_ the Quincy added.

_"I know that! They don't though."_

"Well," Weiss had a rare determined look on her face, "I for one want to try. Even if we can't transform our weapons like Ichigo, using our Aura to strengthen them can only be a good thing."

"And awesome!" that was Ruby of course, "Crescent Rose is already awesome. If I can use my Aura to make it stronger, that's like...super-awesome!"

Yang was somewhat quiet for once, as she looked at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists. That was odd...normally she was at least as talkative as her sister, if less motor-mouthed.

"I already do that," she finally said, getting strange looks from most of the team. And a nervous chuckle from Ruby, who had clearly forgotten something.

"You do?" Ichigo blinked.

A nod was his answer, "Yeah. Well, my Semblance anyway. Harder you hit me, the harder I hit back."

Ichigo didn't know what to think about that. His old man had said that using their spirit energy- Aura to Remnant -was something that could only be done with special training. The most basic of which was, in fact, using it to enhance a weapon. An Asauchi was nothing but a standard katana until a shinigami melded their own power with it, gradually changing the blade into a true Zanpakutō. No Hunter or Huntress that the old man knew had actually done the same...they could use their Aura to reinforce weapons, sure. That allowed for even mundane things like a table leg or something to be used as a weapon by a skilled enough fighter, though it was hardly efficient.

Actually using the Aura to improve a weapon's power? That was something he hadn't heard of before. Granted, if it was Yang's _Semblance_ that was a different story. Those were the closest the average Hunter or Huntress had to a Zanpakutō, so far as Ichigo knew. Unique to the person, and sometimes fairly outlandish...Yang was convinced that Ruby was every bit as fast as Ichigo, for instance and never ceased to tell him so.

This though...

"So it can be done then," Weiss had that look in her eye again...the one where she had latched onto something and wasn't going to let go.

"Ichigooooo," Ruby turned to her friend, "Can you teach us? Can you? Pleeeeassseee?"

Now feeling a blush creep up his face from the attention, Ichigo coughed, "I'm not a teacher..."

"None of us are," Blake was the voice of reason, as ever, "But this can help us fight Grimm. It's at least worth trying."

"Fine," the teen sighed, "Yang, you up for this?"

The blonde blinked, "Hey, don't drag me into this! My Semblance isn't something I can just teach."

Which left Ichigo alone here. As such, he sighed again, but didn't do anything else. His protective instinct was winning out over his lack of desire to try teaching something he had _barely_ mastered himself. He wasn't the old man, who was actually a fairly effective teacher when he wasn't being an overgrown child. Ichigo was _utter crap_ at teaching. But...

_They're all my friends, even Ice Queen. If I can help them..._

Well, he didn't have much choice in the matter. Ichigo wanted nothing more than to protect those close to him. As his team were quickly becoming his first real friends in years, they most certainly counted. If the best way he could protect was to help them learn better ways to fight...that was the least he could do. Even if he didn't really expect it to work all that well, not without an actual Zanpakutō to work with.

"I'll give it a shot," he sighed again.

"Thank you!" Ruby proceeded to jump up and tackle Ichigo to the ground, squeezing him tightly enough to make his face go red again.

It didn't help that Yang was laughing her ass off in the background. Even Weiss and Blake cracked smiles.

_What have I gotten myself into this time..._

Luckily, or unluckily depending on one's point of view, there was a knock on the door at that point. Weiss, acting as leader with Ruby still glomping Ichigo and launching rapid-fire questions at him, gave whoever it was permission to enter. Of course, the laughing and questions ended the moment the door opened. Revealing Glynda Goodwitch, who looked fairly disapproving of the antics. Granted, that was her default appearance. But still the point remained, that she looked rather unhappy. Considering Yang's laughing was probably loud enough to be heard in the hallway, that wasn't hard to believe...

"Ms. Rose, will you please let go of your teammate," the Huntress began, an exasperated tone to her voice.

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby quickly scrambled off Ichigo, her own face lighting up in a blush now.

"And you, Mr. Kurosaki, are coming with me."

Ichigo's eyebrow went up, "What'd _I_ do?"

"Nothing. Professor Ozpin, however, has requested your presence. Now."

Letting out a sigh, Ichigo did as he was told. He couldn't imagine what Ozpin wanted with him...but best not to keep the man waiting, and all that. Plus, it got him away from having to mangle his way through trying to teach his team, at least for now. That was a good thing in his book.

Even if he still had no idea what the older man could possibly want from him.

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

* * *

As Ichigo was pulled out of the room, Blake sighed softly and leaned back against her bunk. That had been an interesting discussion, to put things mildly. It was that reason that she hadn't said much during it. Her mind had been in overdrive, attempting to make sense of what the orangehead had been saying. She had never heard of a Zanpakutō before, and hadn't lied when she said as much. Not to mention what Ichigo described doing...melding his Aura with his weapon...was something that seemed impossible. While it was certainly possible to use an Aura to reinforce something, it was inefficient at best, dangerous at worst since it would deplete the fighters Aura. That was the reason weapons tended to be so complex, like her own Gambol Shroud. If a Huntress had a variable weapon, it made up for any weaknesses.

The girl couldn't deny though, that for all the impossibilities that seemed to hover around Ichigo's statement, it was fascinating. If it was possible to meld an Aura with your weapon, without crippling it...that could be very useful. She could easily imagine increasing the power of Gambol Shroud's pistol rounds to punch through even that Deathstalker back at initiation. Or sharpening the blade to be more like Zangetsu, a weapon that had seemed to have no issues cutting through the Nevermore. Being able to fight that effectively...well, any Huntress would be excited at the idea.

However, Blake had another reason to be interested in what Zangetsu could do and the potential for learning it. As the image of Ichigo in her mind warped into a man with red hair, black clothing and a rose etched into his robe, the girl sighed softly.

_Adam..._

She had only seen the likes of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho once before. And that was why the attack hit her so hard...it wasn't the same, hence her confusion in the forest...but it was similar _enough_ to bring back unwelcome memories.

"Well," Weiss' voice broke into the girl's thoughts, "I'm off to the library. I'm interested to see if Beacon has anything on this Zanpakutō of his."

"I'm not surprised you go straight to books," Yang grinned, "actually, I'm surprised that it isn't Blake suggesting the library."

"Huh?" the dark-haired girl blinked.

Yang just shook her head, "Zoning out? Are you Ichigo or something?"

A glare answered that statement, getting the blonde to put her hands up in mock-surrender. Of course, behind the glare Blake was inwardly smiling. Her partner had a way with getting her teammates out of their moods. Even perpetual scowler Ichigo Kurosaki smiled more often when Yang was making one of her horrible, _horrible_, puns.

"Anyway," the Ice Queen continued with a huff, "I believe the library is our best option. I doubt we will get anything more out of Ichigo, so using the largest resource we have available is only logical."

"If there's anything in there we can use," Blake countered.

Weiss turned her own infamous glare on the dark-haired girl this time, "And why _wouldn't_ there be?"

"Ichigo said that his Zanpakutō is a family weapon," the other girl replied, her bow twitching slightly in frustration, though the others didn't notice it, "and not one of us has ever heard of his family before."

"Good point," Weiss frowned.

There was silence after that statement, as the girls tried to figure out what to do next. Or, at least, Blake and the two who had talked to her tried. Ruby was bouncing back and forth on her feet, clearly thinking about something entirely different. Not that it surprised her teammate...Blake had learned a long time ago that Ruby was unique...in thought process, and attitude. That being said, it was an open question what exactly was on her mind. Not that it mattered to what was on her teammate's minds.

Figuring out how to tell if Ichigo was telling the truth or not...that wasn't as easy. It was going to be difficult, to put things mildly, to figure out what a Zanpakutō even _was_. There was no guarantee that Beacon's library would have something on them. And Blake knew none of _her_ books had anything. She would have remembered if they did.

"Guys," Ruby suddenly stopped fidgeting.

"Yeah sis?" Yang reacted first, as one would expect.

The leader had stopped moving, but she still had an eager look on her face, "I'm going to go try what he said on Crescent Rose!"

"...are you insane?" Weiss asked dubiously, "Actually, don't answer that."

Ruby pouted, "What's wrong with trying?"

"You have no idea what you're doing?" her partner answered rhetorically.

"But that doesn't mean I can't try! I know you want to too, it's too cool not to try!"

The eagerness in the younger girl's voice brought an ever so slight smile to Blake's face. Ruby, when she wasn't being socially awkward, was a bundle of energy the likes of which she had never seen before. It might be all those sweets she ate, but the fact remained that their leader was quite the excitable girl. When it came to weaponry or fighting, that was doubled. It didn't surprise the girl at all that Ruby was ready to go try what Ichigo had told them without him around. It would have surprised her _more_ if the other teen hadn't done so.

That being said...

"Eh, if she want's to try, let her," Yang leaned back against Weiss' bed, completely casual about the situation. She even shut her eyes.

"Aren't you her sister?" Weiss frowned, "Shouldn't you be against this?"

Yang just shrugged, "Nope. Ruby does what she wants to do."

_I wonder what their home life is like..._Blake couldn't help the smile this time.

"I'm surrounded by fools," Weiss held her face in her hands.

"Yang? Blake? Do you want to try too?" Ruby asked, doing her best to hold herself in place...Blake could swear she saw her leader vibrating.

Not opening her eyes, Yang shook her head, "Nah. I've got studying to do."

_Studying? Yang?_

A red-flag came from that statement for the blonde's partner. Yang wasn't one to shirk her classes, but she knew for a fact her friend would go for fighting over studying any day. Blake was understandably curious exactly what her friend was thinking. She wasn't going to be studying, that was for sure. Then what was she planing on doing? Waiting for Ichigo to get back to grill him on the questions all the girls still had? Or something else?

"Okay," Ruby did droop slightly at that, "Blake?"

Only looking at her leader for a second before returning to looking at Yang with questioning amber eyes, the dark-haired girl shook her head.

"Sorry...I...have homework."

"And I'm still going to the library," Weiss broke in before Ruby could ask her.

Grabbing her bag, Weiss swept out of the room with all the grace one would expect from an heiress. Though to Blake it just looked pointless...why act like that among friends? The 'Ice Queen' nickname was certainly well-earned, but Weiss had been acting more like a member of the group when she was among her teammates. Didn't stop her from having her moments though...the more frustrated she got, the more Weiss slipped into that haughty heiress persona of hers. And she was clearly frustrated at the moment.

Ruby on the other hand...

"See you later!" the redhead said, flashing out of the room with a flash of rose petals.

Leaving Blake and Yang alone, the latter sighing softly as she opened her lilac eyes. Eyes that started directly at Blake, without blinking once.

"Staying too huh?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah," Blake replied, "You aren't really studying are you?"

Getting to her feet, the other girl shook her head, "Nope. Well, not school studying. Mind if I look through your books?"

If Blake hadn't had questions before, she certainly had them now. This was _really_ out of character for Yang, even for how short she had known her boisterous partner. Yang was never one to go for the books, not like herself and Weiss. Even Ichigo only read those books he had brought from home. For Yang to be asking to see her private stash...something must be up. It couldn't be about the Zanpakutō issue, since she would have gone to the library if that were the case, to help Weiss. What else could Yang possibly need to read about though?

_Did Ichigo tell her something? That the rest of us don't know?_

"Why?" was about the only way the girl could reply to her partner.

"Curious," Yang shrugged again, "Ichigo said some strange things the first couple of days."

Well, that answered that question...

"He did what?"

Yang sighed, "Ever hear of a Hollow?"

"Hollow?"

"Exactly. He mentioned that his dad calls Grimm that. Didn't say _why_ though."

Blake wasn't sure what to think of that. Grimm were always called...Grimm. She had never once heard them called anything else. Leave alone 'Hollow'...though when she thought about it, the girl had to admit the name fit. Grimm were hollow beings, lacking the soul that gave life- and light -to everything else in Remnant. Calling them 'hollow' could fit in that regard, though it would still be odd. And the way Yang was wording it didn't imply that was the reason.

"Did he say anything else?" she asked, her own curiosity getting the better of her.

"About Hollows? Nope, and I'm kinda curious why," Yang replied, "On top of that, he can 'feel' Auras. That's just strange."

That was certainly strange, Blake could admit. Feeling another's Aura was something she had never heard of. Which seemed to be a regular occurrence when it came to Ichigo Kurosaki, in all honesty.

"How?" even Blake was getting tired of her monosyllabic answers...but there wasn't a whole lot more to say to something like that.

"No clue. That's why I want to look through the books."

"I don't know if I have anything on this."

Yang just shrugged, and walked over to her partner's books, "I get that you're a bookworm, but you can't have read all of these...right? Right."

Well...that was true. Blake hadn't read all the books she had with her yet, especially considering some of them she had picked up in Vale right before coming to Beacon. The odds were good, in fact, that about a third of them were new to her. But that didn't mean any of them had anything they could use. Between the 'Hollow' thing and feeling Aura's, what Yang wanted information on was just that outlandish. Only a handful of the books the dark-haired girl had were ones that _might _have something usable. Those being extremely old, and extremely rare, books she had gotten from a friend years ago and hadn't read yet.

It was certainly possible that there might be something on Ichigo's oddities in those books. By the same token though, it was just as likely that what they wanted was in the library.

"Why aren't we checking the library then?"

A snort answered that question, "Aside from Ice Queen? This'd be a bit more widespread if it were in the library, don't ya think?"

"...good point. You're smarter than you look Yang."

"Thanks for that one," the other girl laughed.

"No problem," Blake cracked a smile of her own, before moving to stand next to her partner, "are you sure you don't want to ask Ichigo himself?"

"Nah," Yang shrugged again, "Ichigo wouldn't tell me anything anyway. That guy's locked up tighter than Ozpin's drug stash."

"...what?"

Grinning, the blonde didn't bother elaborating on that joke. She just started digging through Blake's books, looking for anything that might have what they needed. Shaking her head bemusedly, the girl in question joined in. Maybe there was nothing in even her old, rare books that had anything on Ichigo's odd powers. Then again, there was always the chance there was something to be found. Even if it was a small, slim chance that probably wouldn't come to anything, it was still worth looking. Because the more Blake found out about Ichigo Kurosaki, the more odd he seemed.

If nothing else, she wanted some answers. These powers of his were odd and something she had never seen or heard of before. Wanting answers was only natural, especially for someone as naturally curious as Blake Belladonna. The potential advantages to figuring out how to do what he did were just icing on the proverbial cake really.

"Wonder what the Prof wanted with him though," Yang mused as she dug through an old book.

Blake shrugged elegantly, "No idea."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see?"

"Yeah."

And with that said, the girls began reading through the massive stack of books they had accumulated. Hopefully by the time Ichigo returned, they would have something to work with...

* * *

**AN: There we go. As above, I hope this was good. I should clarify something...Ichigo's explanation? If that seemed weak and disjointed, that's intentional. Whatever else he is, Strawberry is not a good liar. Even with the Old Man's help, he can't lie to save his life. Hence, less than good deflections. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. On to the reviews!**

**Reviews:**

**desdelor97, hollowichigo12, duskrider, Bl4ze777, Telron, shugokage, JJN37, Gravenimage, PredatorPuck, correnhimself316, Natzo, Angel Thera, The10thDoctor1964, Rakaan, Ranmaleopard, Exanime Draco:** Thanks for the reviews!

**PersonaQeminod1:** Summer isn't a Shinigami/Soul Reaper. Not sure where I'd go with her honestly...since God only knows what happened to her. Until that is revealed, I'm not going to touch on her much.

**Dark demon619:** Yeah, Ichigo's probably the bluntest member of this story's cast honestly. Yang is going to have a lot of fun at his expense too.

**yiggdrasill:** Yup, alt!Ichigo. I've been dropping hints, but his full past won't be revealed for some time yet. As for CoF...that's on hiatus while I wait for Kubo to show off Ichi's new Bankai. We're close enough to that from where Bleach is going that I figured it's easier to just wait and see, than make a new one up myself.

**xbox432:** Oh yeah, Ichigo and Yang probably have the most in common of the cast, the latter's personality aside. As for Cardin...suffice to say, I'm looking forward to that part of the story.

**Guest:** As above, it's just him being friends with the girls. It's _way_ too early for any sort of romance, regardless of the variety it takes...which is most assuredly not a Harem. If it reads that way, its certainly not intentional on my part.

**Chaos-Guard:** The pairing was decided before the story was even posted...so yes, there is one.

**Fifth Horseman:** Yeah, Ichigo's tempting fate every time he opens his mouth around Yang isn't he? Doesn't help that she's got that natural curiosity going on.

Ichigo's got all of his team's backs really, though Ruby might get the most of it early on, since she needed the support.

**Drake93:** Yup, pairing has already appeared. Several readers have even picked up on the hints and guessed it correctly.

**Assault Godzilla:** Yeah, for all his 'loner' tendencies, Ichigo's one of the better team players in fiction. With Cardin and co. running around...yeah, bullies are a given. Can't say anything on Ichigo's powers though, sorry...

I can understand people enjoy harems. It's just not for me, personally. I am excited for both Halo and SW, yes...though the former I'm not getting any time soon (no X-One).

**liberty86:** At the moment, Ichigo and his father are the only Shinigami in Remnant, yes.

**humbertorojo96:** As this chapter shows...Ichigo is being roped into a sorta-mentor role. Not willingly though.

**AN: I continue to be humbled by the interest and amount of reviews this is getting. I hope to see everyone review again! See you all next Friday.**


	7. Power of the Soul: Part II

**AN: And now our regularly scheduled chapter. This one came out...well, about as I expected it to. Hope everyone likes it!  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

_Why could Ozpin possibly need me?_

If there was one thought going through the head of Ichigo Kurosaki at that moment, it was that one. He hadn't done anything out of the ordinary since his initiation, so he couldn't understand why the Headmaster would want to see him. Unless this _was_ about his initiation...which might be a problem. It was one thing to deflect his teammates questions, even with Zangetsu's aid. It was another thing entirely to try and do the same with Ozpin. The man seemed to know everything, or at least act like he did. Deflecting his questions was going to be extremely difficult, if that was even the reason he had called the teen up to his office.

For all he knew, Ozpin had some other reason for this. Not that Ichigo had the slightest clue what that could be.

"Come on in," the man in question's voice spoke up, as Goodwitch knocked on his door.

Following the strict woman in the office, Ichigo almost let out a whistle. The office was pretty damn expansive, probably larger than half his house to be honest. Ozpin hadn't struck him as the type to be egotistical though. But you could probably have fit three or more teams in the room with space to spare, and that was being generous. As for the man himself, he was sitting at an equally expansive desk, face fairly expressionless as usual. At least it wasn't an unfriendly expression...just...blank.

"You can leave Glynda," Ozpin continued.

"Professor?" Goodwitch clearly didn't know how to react to that.

"I need to speak to Ichigo alone."

Flashing a look between the two men, Goodwitch grudgingly nodded, "Yes sir."

Striding out of the room, the blonde woman sent one look back, before shutting the door behind her. Ozpin's face gained a bemused smile, as he shook his head at his subordinates actions.

"I apologize for Glynda," the Professor began, "She has always wanted to be involved in anything that may involve the students. While she is strict, she does truly care for everyone here."

Ichigo nodded, "I can understand that. So, why'd you call me up here?"

Ozpin leaned forward, his sharp eyes never once leaving Ichigo's own amber orbs. It would have been enough to make anyone uncomfortable, were Ichigo not used to the same look from the Quincy portion of his blade.

"You are aware that Beacon only selects the very best students to allow in, correct?" Ozpin asked.

"Of course," Ichigo replied, "That's why I had to work my ass off to get in here."

"Indeed. Would I be correct in assuming you realize that you are a special case?"

All Ichigo could do there was nod. What else _was_ there to do? He was well aware he was a special case from the moment he applied to Beacon, without asking the old man first. Beacon only accepted the best...and to be the best, one would logically have to go to one of the Academies. In Ichigo's case, that would have been Signal. However, he had obviously not gone to that academy...as Yang had pointed out the very first day. In point of fact, Ichigo had _zero_ formal schooling in Remnant.

"Yeah," was really all he could say to that.

"I will not lie to you...you are neither the first, nor the only student to get into Beacon without providing a formal education," the Professor continued, "it is still exceedingly rare however, even more so with a fighter of your skill."

As he said that, Ozpin took a sip from the coffee he always seemed to have with him. Ichigo was half-convinced it wasn't actually coffee...how else could he drink so damn much of it?

"It takes exceptional skill to pass the entrance exam with no formal training. Exceptional skill, and an exceptional tutor- most students who choose not to go to an Academy have a Huntsman or Huntress train them personally. You, however, were not, am I correct?"

The questions were beginning to hit a _little_ too close to home now. Ichigo scowled deeper than usual, as he nodded shortly.

"Yeah, I wasn't trained by a tutor. My old man taught me everything I know...what does it matter?"

Ozpin didn't show any reaction to Ichigo's blunt words, "It is interesting that you succeeded in our entrance exam despite being taught by a man who himself never went through any formal schooling."

_Oh...damn..._

**"Well...shit. We didn't think of that one, did we Kingy?"**

_"Indeed."_

Therein lay the flaw in Ichigo's 'taught by his father' story. While certainly true...it was also true that Isshin Kurosaki was not a trained Huntsman. Shinigami, hell yeah...one of the best there was, if his stories were any indication. But he hadn't gone to any school in Remnant...not when he hadn't been born here. In fact, if one looked deep enough, they could find flaws in _Isshin's_ story of his life. Which was not a good thing, since Ozpin seemed the type to be the one to look that deep. If he could figure out that Ichigo and his family weren't from Remnant originally...there went his entire story. And possibly his friends, since what were the odds that the Professor would let someone like him stay in the Academy?

After all, his powers were something that were so out of whack with the rest of Remnant. Ozpin...he might not want to risk it, even if Ichigo had precisely zero intention of hurting anyone around him.

"About that," Ichigo tried, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "The old man was..."

The Professor just held up a hand, "Relax, I am not asking you to tell me about why your father wasn't an Academy student. As I said, it is not unheard of for a Huntsman to never attend a formal academy. While it is exceedingly odd to never attend a late Academy such as Beacon or Haven, it is not by any means an issue."

_Then why did you call me up here?!_

Ozpin was confusing Ichigo now. He couldn't see where the man was going with his questions. If his lack of formal training- and his father's lack for that matter -were non-issues, than why was he up here?

"Why am I up here then?"

At that question, Ozpin rose to his feet, walking around the desk. The Professor stopped in front of Ichigo, and looked at the sword on his back. That look got a frustrated sigh out of the teen. Of _course_ it was about Zangetsu. Was it too much to ask for him to _not_ have to make up excuses about his blade? It was getting a bit frustrating.

**"What'd ya expect? _Everyone'll _want to know about us."  
**

For once the Hollow actually had a point. Sighing again, Ichigo just pulled the daito off his back, setting it on the Professor's desk. At least the thing was sealed...Zangetsu's unsealed form wouldn't have fit on even that expansive desk.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked rhetorically, "You want to know about it too I'm guessing?"

"Indeed," the older man replied, looking at the blade with a curious light in his eyes...something new from Ichigo's perspective.

"Everyone does," the teen sighed.

A chuckle answered that, "I would imagine so. I assume your teammates have already asked you about your weapon?"

"Interrogated me is more like it," Ichigo grumbled, though it was more good-natured than it might otherwise have been...annoying questions aside, they _were_ his friends.

The smile didn't leave the Professor's face, as he turned back to the blade sitting on his desk. Other than Zangetsu complaining about the look, nothing really changed. The man didn't reach for the blade, or do anything else. Merely stare at it, like he was trying to unravel it's secret with just his eyes. Considering Ichigo didn't know how much he actually _knew_ about a Zanpakutō...well, it was an open question what exactly his eyes were finding. No one in Remnant _should_ know what a Zanpakutō was. That didn't mean it was necessarily true though...Ozpin seemed the type to know more than he was letting on.

"It is not hard to understand why your team would have questions," Ozpin finally spoke up, "I have had much the same reaction. You have a very curious weapon, Ichigo."

Shrugging, the teen inwardly sighed, "Yeah, I know. Zangetsu's an odd weapon."

"That is certainly true. In fact, I will admit to having never seen a weapon of this type before."

_Well, at least there's _that_..._

"It's a family thing," Ichigo shrugged again.

Ozpin merely nodded, "I assumed so. Nonetheless, it is very curious that you can transform your weapon without any mechanism. Most students create their weapons with transformation in mind, barring a few like Ms. Schnee. To transform a sword into two different swords however, is unheard of."

Sighing again, Ichigo started to relay the same story he had told his team. The practice beforehand made it go easier at least. His voice didn't shake once and other than having to run his hand through his hair a couple times in nervousness at the way Ozpin showed no reaction to the story, it was significantly easier than it had been when he first told it to his team. Easier perhaps, but that didn't make it particularly _fun_ by any means. The more people that Ichigo told this lie to, the more likely someone would poke a hole in it. Both he and Zangetsu knew that the story was far from iron-clad after all.

_"It is the only option we have,"_ the Quincy replied, when Ichigo voiced that thought as the Professor mulled over what he said.

_"I know that."_

_"Indeed. However, we may not have a choice but to tell the truth. You must be prepared for that eventuality Ichigo."_

_"...yeah, I know."  
_

He didn't want to have to tell the truth of course, for various reasons.

"Aura manipulation," Ozpin finally spoke, a curious tone to his voice, "I have heard of this before. I believe your classmate, Lie Ren, is capable of using his Aura offensively rather well. Though in his case, it is merely to enhance physical blows."

"Figured I wasn't the only one," Ichigo shrugged, though there was a much more relaxed feel to it this time...if he wasn't the only one who manipulated his Aura...

"However, using Aura to change a weapon's form is not something I am familiar with."

And there was the issue again.

"I would like to see one of these Zanpakutō myself," the Professor continued, "But I believe that is not possible, correct?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck, "Not really. Dad and I have the only ones around right now."

Which wasn't technically a lie. Isshin had brought all of _one_ Asauchi to Remnant...the one that Ichigo had used to form Zangetsu. As a result, it was entirely true that the only Zanpakutō that Ozpin could see were Zangetsu and Engetsu...and that didn't really help Ichigo's case. It would have been better if there _was_ an Asauchi lying around somewhere. At least then the Professor could see what it was like to have a 'new' Zanpakutō. As it sat though, all Ichigo had to offer was the story he had told.

"I expected that to be the case," Ozpin's smile didn't falter, "I assume your team has already asked to learn how to manipulate Aura?"

_Wait...how did he know that?_

"Yes?" Ichigo replied, wondering what the Professor was planning.

The Professor merely sat back down, sipping his coffee, "I had assumed they would ask that. Every student at Beacon for as long as I have been headmaster has had a drive to learn whatever they can. Your team would be no different, and with the abilities you posses, it is not hard to see why they may want to learn Aura manipulation themselves."

Taking another sip from his coffee, Ozpin's sharp eyes stared directly into Ichigo's own amber orbs.

"If you are determined to mentor your team, be careful."

_Yeah yeah...wait, what?_

"What?" Ichigo asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Training in something that is not taught at this Academy is something I would normally not condone," the older man continued, "As the safety of my students is my top priority. Working in an area I myself do not know is dangerous, as I am sure you are aware."

Ichigo nodded, though he didn't really see much of an issue himself. Granted, that was his personal experience talking. He had more power tied up in his body than anyone he knew outside his old man. And when he was training to control it, the only danger was accidentally setting off a flare of energy...that might have damaged a wall or two. Or wrecked a building.

Okay...maybe Ozpin did have a point...

"...you have a point."

A chuckle came from the Professor, ironically doing more to put Ichigo on edge since it was odd to hear that from him.

"That being said, while this is normally something I could not allow, I am willing to make an exception- provided you have a Professor observing the training at all times," the smile grew ever so slightly, "you can never know...if this training proves valuable, I may make it a portion of the regular curriculum."

_Damn...damn...**damn...**_

Ichigo and his Hollow-side's thoughts merged at the end of that sentence, both of them sweating. It was bad enough having to train the rest of team RWBIY...teaching the entire damn school? What had he gotten himself into this time?

"..." the teen scowled, "seriously?"

Ozpin appeared more amused than anything, "Yes, I am being serious. I truly believe that this could benefit not just you, or your team, but the entire Academy. That, of course, presumes you are able to pass on what you know. Until we have established this, I would like you to keep this between you and your team however. And you would not be required to do more than help the Professors, should they request the aid."

"Sure...can I go now?"

The Professor nodded, "Of course. Just remember what I have told you."

"It'd be hard not to."

And with that, Ichigo left the office, his mind racing. Racing to the point that he didn't notice that Ozpin had a message ready to send to a certain dusty old crow at Signal...

* * *

**Weiss Schnee**

* * *

_I have...no idea what I'm doing..._

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the famous- infamous depending on whom you asked -Schnee family was distinctly unused to this feeling. She had always known exactly what she was doing, and how to do it. With the amount of training she had to go through to get where she was in her life, that was a given. Everything was always neatly laid out and set up where she would understand it perfectly. That was how she had grown up, and it was how Beacon's classes had gone. So long as she gave everything the requisite amount of attention, she would understand it.

So being completely out of her depth in the _massive_ library that Beacon possessed was a new feeling for her. She wasn't a bookworm like a certain dark-haired teen, but the Schnee mansion had a fairly substantial library of its own. With her highly regimented life- as a proper Lady, Weiss had hardly had time for things most teenage girls would do -reading had seemed like an escape at times. But in those cases...she had known exactly where and what she was looking for.

Being in Beacon's much larger library with only a single word, Zanpakutō, to work with...that was something Weiss wasn't prepared for. Not that she was about to back out, of course.

"Where do I begin," the heiress muttered to herself, walking through the massive stacks of books.

There weren't a whole lot of students in the library this early on a weekend, so at least she didn't have to worry about someone getting in her way. However, it didn't help the girl much in finding what she needed.

"I guess I can start with the computer..."

Moving to an open station, Weiss sat down in the small seat and booted up the holographic screen. Sniffing slightly at using the older-model computer, Weiss paused before she began typing.

_How is Zanpakutō_ _even_ spelled_?_

She hardly knew any foreign languages. Remnant in general had settled on Atlas' language some time ago, as a sign of unity after the Great War. While there were still regional dialects, notably in Vacuo, it was very rare these days. So when Ichigo spoke in some funky language that the heiress had never heard before, it gave her no indication of how to _spell_ the thing she was looking for. Sighing softly, Weiss made an attempt at spelling it.

"Zan...Zanpak..."

Muttering under her breath, the white-haired girl sounded out the word and hoped she had spelled it correctly only for...

**No Information**

"Oh come on," Weiss groaned, even if she had somewhat expected this.

Luckily for her, Yang had sent her a belated message once she had left the room. Ruby had mentioned awhile back that Zanpakutō evidently meant 'Soul Cutter'. Ominous name aside, if the translation was correct that might be more likely to have something in the system. After all, if _Weiss_ didn't recognize the native language, then it was doubtful Beacon's system would. Now the translation on the other hand...that might work somewhat better.

As such, the girl entered Soul Cutter into the system. And promptly blinked when it spit out three results.

"I...didn't expect that to work..."

Staring at the screen, Weiss quickly memorized the titles of the books in question, in addition to their numbers. It was times like this she was thankful for her training in memorizing etiquette, since it helped her in other tasks. Especially as she had enough respect for Ichigo's privacy to not want others digging into it...he may have been a boor, but at least he was _somewhat_ nice to her. Clearing the screen, Weiss moved to the massive stacks of books all around her. Most were Beacon-issue textbooks, dull green covers marking them as such.

What Weiss was looking for, however, was quite different. Going into a deeper section of the library, she almost marveled at the age of some of these books. Blake would have a field day if she saw these...

_Focus Weiss...focus..._

Ignoring the books around her, the heiress continued towards where she expected the three she was looking for to be.

"There you are," she smiled slightly, pulling the books in question off the shelf. All of them were old, practically ancient in fact. At least to her...the publication dates had all been over a century before she was born.

The titles weren't particularly promising though, even if the age gave them metaphorical weight.

_Tales of Myths and Legends_

_Greatest Mysteries of Remnant_

_Legend of the Reaper_

Even with her prior memorization of the titles, what had allowed her to find them so easily, Weiss couldn't quite hold back a sigh at those titles. She was almost surprised that even Beacon had had these books. They sounded more like bad fiction than historical archives. Seriously...legends and myths? Ichigo's sword was odd, there was no denying that. But legendary or mythical?

With another sigh, Weiss shook her head.

_It doesn't matter what _I_ think of these books. Anything that may answer our questions is worth looking into._

That fact remained true, even as the heiress sniffled at the thought of having to take _these_ books to check out. Ichigo was clearly not going to tell them anything else, so books it was. No matter how outlandish they may appear to be. So plastering her best 'cheery' smile on her face, Weiss walked up to the librarian. The elderly woman- seriously, were all librarians elderly women? -smiled slightly when she saw the heiress. Weiss could imagine that most students at Beacon didn't regularly check out books...they probably took advantage of the size of the library to just read them in there.

"Hello, I would like to check out these books," the white-haired girl said as cheerfully as she could manage without making herself gag.

"Of course dear," the librarian seemed to have bought the act hook, line and sinker too, "My, I can't remember the last time a student read these old things."

"It's a personal project," Weiss replied, maintaining the cheerful voice.

The older woman smiled kindly, "I am sure it's an interesting project. There you go dear, these just need to be returned in two weeks."

"Thank you!"

Giving a short little wave, Weiss moved out the library. Her normal facial features returned, as she shook her head. Acting like that was never fun...even less fun than acting emotionless. Oh well, at least it was for a good cause...if any of these damn books had anything worth getting. She still wasn't entirely convinced of that. It just didn't seem...normal...for anything to be useful in a book about legends.

But if it was all she could get...well, at least it was something. Now she just had to get the books back to the room, and look over them with her non-mysterious teammates. Maybe there was another book on the subject in Blake's stash too...now that they had an idea what to look for, it might be easier to find something. Though hopefully Blake's books wouldn't be so...trashy. Old or not.

"Weiss! I think I did it Weiss!"

Before she had gone more than a few steps, however, the white-haired girl was nearly knocked over by a very _red_ person.

"Ruby?!"

Standing in front of her, unrepentant grin on her face, was a _glowing red_ Ruby Rose. Weiss did the only thing she could do in this situation...place her face in her hand like Ichigo did.

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

_How do I do this again?_

Ruby Rose was staring down on Crescent Rose, thoroughly at a loss on how to proceed. She had been sitting on the roof of Beacon, since the training room was occupied, for the last hour. But the youngest student at the Academy had _no idea_ how to get it working. 'It', of course, being melding her Aura with her weapon. It had seemed so simple too! Just focus her Aura on her beloved weapon, and then...it would be awesome! But no matter what Ruby tried, it stubbornly refused to work. Granted, that may be her inexperience showing. She was extremely skilled..._extremely skilled_...for her age. But Uncle Qrow had really only taught her how to use Crescent Rose...otherwise, she was still at a level two years below the rest of Beacon.

Unfortunately for _her_, that included her Aura training. She could use it to defend herself well enough, but Ruby relied almost entirely on the excellent craftsmanship of Crescent Rose and her instinctively good use of her Semblance while fighting. She hadn't really felt the _need_ to train her Aura much, beyond the defensive use every Huntress had to use on instinct. So trying to use it in a way it wasn't really meant to be used- at least outside Ichigo's family, apparently -was proving more than a little difficult for her to manage.

"Come on, it can't be that hard!" Ruby grumbled, shaking her 'sweetheart'.

Naturally, Crescent Rose didn't give a reply to the shaking. Ruby just pouted, and sat down, staring at her weapon with a mystified look in her silver eyes. How did Ichigo do it? Ruby remembered him glowing blue when he 'released' Zangetsu. She had felt _something_ from him...but she had been a bit busy at the time! Nonetheless, if she started glowing she knew she was doing something right.

_But how do I do it_?

Groaning softly, Ruby focused on what she did know about Aura work. It was the manifestation of her soul...check. Every living thing, barring Grimm of course, had one...check. To use it properly, she had to activate it...double check! Maybe that was the issue? The cloaked girl didn't ordinarily _think_ about using her Aura. Once it had been activated the first time, it had been instinct.

Focusing again, Ruby tried to dig back through her memories.

"How do I do this again?" she muttered, thinking back to her Uncle's lessons, "What did Uncle Qrow say? Something about..."

_"Aura is the manifestation of our soul Ruby," Qrow said, cleaning the mechanism of his own scythe._

_"Awesome!" a younger Ruby had replied, her eyes gleaming with interest...both for what her Uncle was saying, and the weapon he was cleaning._

_"It is," the older man agreed, a smile on his face...one only Ruby ever got to see, "But it is also very important for you to know Ruby."  
_

_She had cocked her head, looking at her Uncle curiously, "Why is that Uncle Qrow?"_

_Qrow had simply sighed, placing his cleaning tools down, "As I said, Aura is the manifestation of our Souls...the light of our lives. Every living being, from you down to the smallest insect, has an Aura." _

_"Except for Grimm!"_

_"Indeed...except for the Grimm. Grimm lack a soul, it is what truly separates them from all they hunt. This lack of a soul also means Grimm lack an Aura however."_

_As he said that, the older man had put his weapon back together, giving a satisfied smile at the awed look on his niece's face. Ever since Ruby had been a kid she had practically been in love with his scythe...the first thing she had done at Signal was corner her Uncle and beg him to teach her how to use one. Of course, Qrow had resisted at first...scythe's were highly dangerous weapons, as liable to slice the wielder up as a Grimm. It took a lot of skill and practice to use one properly._

_The one thing the teacher had always underestimated was his tiny niece's puppy eyes however. Not even Yang was immune to Ruby when she broke those out, complete with a pout. Hence, the reason a disassembled red scythe was sitting next to the pair...the beginnings of Crescent Rose.  
_

_"It is this lack of an Aura," Qrow continued, "That gives Huntsman and Huntresses our main advantage over Grimm. Aura shields us, and can give us strength that the Grimm cannot counter. That is why it is important for every Hunter or Huntress to learn Aura as soon as they begin training seriously...including you, young lady."_

_Ruby had just looked at her feet, far and away more interested in building her weapon. Qrow had not missed this, which was why he had brought her to his office in the first place. If anyone would teach his niece how to use Aura, it would be him._

_"I know..." the girl had muttered, kicking her feet slightly._

_Her uncle had just smiled, grabbing Ruby's hands in his own, well-calloused limbs. The older man had shut his eyes at that point, and guided Ruby through how to activate her Aura..._

"Right!" Ruby shouted, pumping her fist as the memory faded, "That was how he did it!"

Shutting her own silver eyes, Ruby focused on the familiar feeling. She could feel her Aura...the defensive energy quite familiar to her. Focusing on coaxing it out from its usual 'defense' state, she then picked up Crescent Rose. Getting her Aura activated without doing it on instinct was one thing...and not what she was here for. No, Ruby wanted to get her weapon using her Aura, just like Ichigo had said! If she could do that without his help...that would be something!

As such, Ruby focused on her Aura, and then on the familiar feeling of her weapon in her hands. It was extremely odd...but she could _feel_ her Aura connecting to the weapon. Like it was becoming a part of the Aura, not just a piece of metal in her hands. She almost dropped Crescent Rose in shock at the feeling, eyes snapping open and widening.

"Whoa!"

Now that she could see, Ruby blinked owlishly as she saw her body glowing crimson. She recognized the color from her training with her uncle...the color of her Aura. More importantly, however, her _weapon_ was glowing ever so softly. It wasn't changing shape like the teenage girl had seen Zangetsu do...but she had at least managed to get part of the work right. She had to show the others!

"I did it!"

Grinning so widely it might split her face, Ruby flashed into her Semblance, looking for any of her teammates. Luckily for her, the library wasn't that far away...which meant Weiss wasn't that far away. Charging down the hallways, petals falling all around and leading more than a few students to spin around wondering what had flashed by them, Ruby rapidly approached her destination. She couldn't stop a squeal of joy from leaving her lips either, when she saw Weiss leaving the library with three books in hand. Not for the books obviously, but for what she had done and the eagerness to let her partner know.

Weiss was still always on her for not studying as much as she could. Well, now she had done something that only Ichigo could do!

"Weiss! I think I did it Weiss!" Ruby shouted, coming to a stop so fast she sent her partner spinning.

"Ruby?!" the heiress replied, her blue eyes widening at her partner...before she placed her face in her palm in an Ichigo-esque gesture.

The younger girl frowned, "Weiss?"

"I am not seeing this..." her partner muttered, "Ruby, _why_ are you glowing?"

Looking down, Ruby realized that, in fact, she _was_ still glowing red. Blinking again, Ruby looked up at her partner and giggled slightly.

"Oops?"

* * *

**AN: And there we go. Some work with Ichigo, a bit of character moment for Ruby (and Qrow). And of course, the mystery books. I did say we would be trending a bit differently with the sub-arcs didn't I? Hope everyone liked it. Now, for the reviews: **

**Rakaan, silentstrixe, shugokage, weismax33, Gravenimage, Ranmaleopard, duskrider, JJN37, desdelor97, hollowichigo12, Taeniaea:** Thanks for the reviews!

**PersonaQeminod1:** If I use anything that is from the Fillers, it won't be for a _looonnnggg_ time. I'm firmly set on not having any Bleach characters outside the Kurosakis pop up (outside flashbacks) until at least the end of Volume 3 of RWBY.

**yiggdrasill:** Well, while I can't say _who_ Weiss will end up with, as this chapter shows...I'm aiming on going deeper into her character. Well, every member of RWB(I)Y really...

**The Digger92:** Thanks!

**Hollow Saigo no Getsuga Tensho:** Can't say at the moment. That's another of those 'can't say where Ichigo's power level is' things.

**Takei Daloui:** Yup, I update every Friday, barring something major coming up. And yes, that's the goal of the girls...enhance their existing weapons, more than transform them.

**lolperson2:** As above, I update every Friday.

**Fifth Horseman:** Yeah, Isshin meeting any member of that team would be...iffy. Ruby is proving one of the funner ones to write actually...I'm not used to writing a character quite like her.

**Exanime Draco:** Yeah, Ozpin strikes me as the Kisuke type. Now where he's holding his cards here...well, since it wasn't from his perspective I'm keeping the readers guessing for now.

**The10thDoctor1964:** Yeah, the girls aren't going to find out the truth about Ichigo's past for awhile yet. They'll get hints though.

Can't say on Ichigo's Bankai, unfortunately.

I'm not so much focusing on this before CoF, as that story _is_ relying on what Ichi's new Bankai is. Waiting until Kubo gets around to that, before updating it.

**AN: Again, I hope everyone liked the chapter! Also kinda hoping we can keep up this '20 reviews per chapter' thing. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice...so I hope to see everyone review if you liked it!**


	8. Power of the Soul: Part III

**AN: And here we are with the next chapter, and the last of our little mini-arc. Hope everyone enjoys it!  
**

**Also, I continue to be humbled by the love for this story...26 reviews for last chapter? Thank you everyone! Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long  
**

* * *

"...how many books _do_ you have anyway?"

"A lot."

"I can tell. Jeez Blake, how did you even carry all of these?"

"It wasn't easy."

Yang shook her head in amazement, as the dark-haired girl next to her didn't even look up from what she was doing. Carrying all of these books? Even _she_ would have had issues with that. How in the hell did Blake manage it? Taking shifts maybe? Regardless of how she did it though, the point remained. This really was a miniature library, like Ichigo had joked on the second day. Not to mention a lot of these books were ones Yang had never seen before. She wasn't a bookworm by any definition of course...much preferring physical activity to spend her free time on. But the blonde still read occasionally.

And a lot of these books really were ones that were a mystery to her. If the situation were any different though, it was doubtful the blonde would really _care_ about that though. Reading through Blake's mini-library wasn't exactly high on her to-do list. As such, the only reason she was even doing so was the hope that these books might clear up some of her questions in relation to one Ichigo Kurosaki. More specifically in this case, his mention of calling Grimm 'Hollow' and his ability to sense Aura. Weiss could handle the Zanpakutō side of things...hopefully.

That left it up to Yang and Blake to look for the other things.

"Find anything yet?" the blonde asked, shutting her own book with a sigh. Nothing at all in that one.

"Nothing," Blake shrugged, moving to another book, "not even one mention of Hollows."

"Same here," Yang frowned, "It's like a needle in a haystack. Scratch that, that would be easier than this."

A slight smile crossed the other girl's face, "Maybe. We might not find anything you know."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. You did say that Ichigo's father is where he got Hollow from...we don't know if that's just him or not."

"Good point..."

Blake shrugged, "There might be something on sensing Aura. I...felt something myself, when he used that attack. Did you?"

"Kinda," Yang replied, "I mean, I don't know _what_ I felt. Other than Ichigo trying to burn out my eyes with his Aura anyway."

Joke aside, the blonde really _didn't_ know how to describe the feeling. It was...extremely odd. When Ichigo had used his Shi...Shi...whatever he called it, a feeling had come over Yang. And the other girls for that matter. A feeling like...well, like something was pushing down on her. When Ichigo was around normally, there wasn't any feeling coming from him, regardless of what he said about sensing Aura.

When he had used that attack though...

"It felt like a weight," Blake said, setting her latest book aside, "Like something was pushing me down."

"Yeah, exactly," Yang nodded, "I've never felt that with Ruby before!"

"I've never felt anything like it either. So, at least in that case..."

The blonde caught on quickly, "We know it's possible to feel Ichigo's Aura."

"Yes."

Yang sighed again, "But how does _he_ do it? I can't figure that out."

"Hmm," Blake leaned back, shutting her eyes. Yang blinked, as the other girl evened her breathing out. Was she meditating or something?

"Umm..." the blonde spoke, "What're you doing? Is it nap time?"

Not replying, the dark-haired girl just continued to lean back against her bed. Yang shook her head slightly, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Evidently Blake was bitten by the Ruby-bug...and was trying to learn the sensing thing on her own.

_Well, good luck Blake! I guess that means I have to look through the books...fun._

Getting back to her work, Yang continued to look through the books around her. Stacks were forming to either side of the teen, as she set the books aside. Most of them weren't any use really. They were either too _new_, or had titles that didn't lend them to having the information she needed. Like...Ninja's of L...ov...

"Blake?"

Eyes snapping open at the choked off laugh in Yang's voice, her partner blinked slowly. Before she noticed the book Yang held in her shaking hands. Blake's eyes widened, as a fierce blush took over her cheeks. The girl moved forward, hands grabbing at Yang's. For her part, the blonde just let out a laugh, and held the book up as Blake tried to grab it from her. She didn't have _that_ much of a height advantage on her partner, but it was enough to make this amusing. Poor Blake didn't know how to react.

"I know we're looking for stuff on Ichigo," she got out between laughs, "But really Blake? What else are you hiding in this library? Anything I should know about?"

As Blake turned her patented glare on Yang, the blonde just laughed again, and handed the book over.

"Or, should I say, is there anything in here I don't want Ruby finding?"

"Very funny Yang," the dark-haired girl frowned, carefully putting the incriminating book away, "Did you find anything?"

A shrug answered that, "Nah. I don't think you have anything. Did it work?"

"No," Blake sighed softly, "I tried relaxing and using my own Aura to sense yours. I didn't feel anything though...I'm not sure how Ichigo does it."

"That makes two of us. Well, I guess we just need to wait on the Ice..."

"Don't _even_ say it."

Yang and Blake both turned to the door, to see the girl in question giving them an annoyed look. Granted, Weiss Schnee almost _always_ had an annoyed look on her face, so that wasn't new. The three books she had in her arms were new on the other hand. So clearly she had found _something_. Question was, was there anything she had found that was worthwhile? And why was she standing in the doorway like that?

"Hey Weiss," Yang chuckled, "you find anything?"

The Heiress sniffed, "Something? Yes. I doubt it will do us any good though. And Yang...please tell your sister to stop glowing like a flashlight."

"Glowing like a..."

Before the blonde could question that statement, Weiss moved into the room. Revealing Ruby standing behind her, a crimson light surrounding her body and weapon. Yang blinked, her lilac eyes widening. Had Ruby...actually done it? Melded her Aura with Crescent Rose like she was trying? There was even some sort of feeling in the air...like static electricity running over her arms. Neither Blake nor Weiss seemed to realize that though.

_Is it because we're sisters?_

Familiarity...maybe that was the key to feeling other Auras? Ichigo might be experienced enough it didn't matter, but if it helped...that would explain why Yang felt the hair on her arms stand up when she looked at her sister. She hadn't felt like this before, not when Ruby trained. Considering that Yang trained with her sister when they were both at Signal still...it was odd, to say the least.

"Ruby?"

The younger sister grinned, "I think I did it Yang! But I can't make it stop..."

"I can tell," the blonde smiled herself, though she did walk to her sister, "You can't make it stop?"

"Nope," Ruby replied, looking at her glowing body.

"Why?"

At that, her grin faltered slightly, "I don't know. I can feel my Aura more than normal, but I can't get it to go back to normal. It's freaky!"

"I can imagine," Yang turned around, "Weiss, while we wait for Ichigo mind sharing the books?"

In response, the Heiress handed off the books to Blake, "Why not. I doubt we'll find anything useful."

"Why?" the blonde asked, sitting on Blake's bed with her glowing sister.

"Because they're all books about myths and legends. Hardly something that helps us."

Blake was silent as she looked over the books. Yang, for her part, just frowned slightly. Like Weiss had felt earlier, it seemed odd to her that the only reference they seemed to have was old legends. Ichigo's sword was odd, but a legendary weapon? That would be even weirder, and Yang didn't know how much weirdness she could deal with.

It seemed like _everything_ to do with the other teen was weird and unbelievable. How many oddities could be in one person?

"Hmm..." Blake hummed, looking through the books, and breaking into Yang's thoughts.

That being said, it might take some time for the other girl to look through those books. So Yang turned back to her sister, and decided that figuring out the weird feeling she was getting from Ruby was more important at the moment. That, and figuring out what the _hell_ she had done to her Aura in the first place.

"Hey, Ruby?" Yang turned back to her sister.

"Huh?" the younger girl asked, looking up from her glowing arms.

"What did you even _do_ out there anyway sis?" at that question, Yang poked her sister in the arm, somewhat surprised when her finger bounced off the light, "I mean, this is..."

"Awesome?" Ruby suggested.

"Yeah," her sister agreed with a grin, "Until you think about stopping it."

Ruby looked down at her arms again, "Yeah..."

Pulling her sister down to the floor next to her as Blake and Weiss poured over the books, Yang grinned at the younger girl. Ruby grinned back, giggling slightly at the way they were sitting. This was just like when Uncle Qrow had taught her how to use her Aura. Something Yang knew well enough, since she had been there during a couple of the lessons. In this case though, it was up to her to help her sister with using her Aura. Or, more importantly, figure out how _not_ to use the thing. Because clearly Ruby couldn't figure out how to make her Aura go back to normal.

Back to normal...from whatever she had done to it. If it had just been her glowing, Yang would assume that her sister just couldn't stop using her Aura out of excitement or something. Which had happened before...when Ruby got excited, strange things happened. But this wasn't one of those cases. The way she was giving off a strange...aura...that her sister could feel, for one. And the fact that Crescent Rose was glowing just as much, even when Ruby wasn't directly touching the weapon.

This was almost exactly like Ichigo.

"So little sister," Yang patted her sister's shoulder, "what did ya do?"

"I did what Uncle Qrow taught me!" the younger girl replied as energetically as ever, "Focus on my Aura and try to bring it up! Then I thought about making it touch Crescent Rose. When I opened my eyes, I was glowing like this. It kinda feels weird."

_You've got that right Ruby..._

"Any idea how it happened?"

"Nope."

Yang frowned, "How did you do it then?"

"No idea," Ruby shrugged, "I'm just glad I did! I mean, I did something so awesome on my first try!"

Frankly, Yang didn't have it in her to say that the problem of not being able to _stop_ made Ruby's accomplishment a bit more...iffy.

"I mean, I know I focused on getting my Aura on Crescent Rose," the excitable redhead continued, "I felt it happen too. Like...like...like my Aura stretching out. Like a rubber band! I can't really describe it Yang, you have to try it yourself!"

Laughing at her sisters enthusiasm, Yang just shook her head, "Not a good idea sis. I'm 'all fiery' remember? I don't think Weiss would appreciate me setting the room on fire."

"No I wouldn't!"

Both sisters broke down in giggles at that shout. And the glare Weiss was sending there way, as she snapped her book shut. Setting it aside, the heiress sighed slightly and shook her head. Giggles trailing off, Yang cocked her head at that. Was there something wrong with the book?

"Anyway, there was nothing in that book," the white-haired girl continued, "Not that I expected anything. I mean, what were the odds that a book called '_Tales of Myths and Legends' _would actually have anything?"

"Nothing at all?" Ruby asked, a curious look on her face.

Weiss sighed again, "Well, there was a reference to a 'Reaper' using a weapon called a Soul Cutter. But there wasn't any detail on it."

"The same goes for '_Greatest Mysteries',"_ Blake commented, "_Legend of the Reaper_ though..."

Yang felt a rush of excitement at the tone in her partner's voice. Blake had clearly found something. Maybe they finally had some answers on just what was up with Ichigo? Jumping up, she moved over to the dark-haired girl, with Ruby blinking at how fast her sister had moved. The blonde sat next to her partner, who blinked just as Ruby had. Yang didn't particularly care or notice however. Ichigo's mysteries had been tickling her curiosity since she first met the guy, and this might 'scratch the itch' so to speak.

At least, that was what she hoped.

"What'd you find?" she asked excitedly.

Blake just blinked again, before holding the book up and reciting a passage from it.

_"The Reaper has only been sighted by a handful of people, and never in the same place twice. Clad entirely in black, he wears a cloak that obscures all his features beyond sharp grey eyes. Eyes that witnesses report as highly intelligent and calculating. One witness reported feeling as if he was being dissected by the man's stare, not unlike a scientist working on a project. The Reaper never stays in one spot long enough to identify anything beyond his sharp gaze however, always vanishing at a speed not even a Huntsman can match._

_The only other feature that has been identified in all the reports is his weapon. A straight blade with an angled tip, and a black hilt with a sharp angle. Only two have seen it close enough to confirm this much. These individuals are the ones who coined the name Soul Cutter for the weapon, as they felt as if their soul was being crushed when in the presence of the Reaper...in addition to his blade cutting through any Grimm without any resistance. One notable report had the Reaper using a red energy attack that was capable of cutting a Giant Nevermore in twain.  
_

_This..."_

Before Blake could finish what she was reading, the door opened. Almost as one, the girls turned to look at the door. Where, speak of the devil, Ichigo Kurosaki was standing.

"Err...did I miss something?"

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

_Man, this has not been a fun day..._

**"Tell me about it Kingy. I haven't had to think this hard in years."**

_"...was that an insult?"_

**"Possibly."**

_"At least it is over. We should not have to answer any further questions for now." _

_"I hope so. I'm not cut out for all this lying, just saying." _

There wasn't any argument from his weapons on that statement. Ichigo shook his head at the rare occurrence _that_ was, before he felt something prickling at his senses. While there was a permanent undercurrent of energy at Beacon, hell, in Remnant in general...this was different. Ichigo was used to feeling energy at the edge of his senses. Couple that with his horrid skills in that regard in general, and it was a large part of the reason he had trouble finding his future team back at initiation.

This though...this was different. He could feel a much more stable and well...in his face...energy. Like someone was using their energy more than just as a background Aura. That could mean someone was fighting and needed the power, or it meant...that someone had decided to try out what he had used as an excuse without waiting for him.

**"Betcha it was Ruby,"** Zangetsu suggested.

_"For once, I agree with you. Damn it."_

Speeding up, Ichigo moved to the dorm room. Hopefully he got back before his friend did something bad. Considering what could go wrong...that was a distinct possibility too. The last thing he wanted was Ruby- he really doubted it was one of the others -hurting herself because he wasn't there to talk her through things.

Pushing the door open, the teenager blinked slowly. He hadn't expected to see...the dorm covered in books. Blake's library was spread around the floor, with books covering the area. His friends/team were sitting in the middle of the disaster area. Weiss looked bored, Blake looked like a cat caught doing something wrong, Yang grinned at him, and Ruby...

Well, Ruby was glowing red.

"Err...did I miss something?" Ichigo asked, as the first thing that came to mind.

"Hey Ichigo!" Yang replied first, jumping to her feet and grabbing the oranghead's arm, "We were just talking about you!"

"Wait...what?" the shinigami complained, as he was dragged along by the deceptively strong blonde.

"Yeah! We found this book!" Ruby added, pulling a book out of Blake's arms so fast that the other girl could only blink.

"A book?"

Ichigo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His old man had said there wasn't anything on shinigami in Remnant. What if he had been wrong? What if this book _did_ render his story invalid?

"Yup," Yang didn't seem to notice how suddenly uncomfortable her friend was, "A reeeallly old book that Weiss found in the library."

"Ancient," the girl in question clarified.

Ruby thrust the book into Ichigo's hands, getting a raised eyebrow out of the teen. The feeling of almost-dread not leaving his body, Ichigo held the book up and looked at the title. And promptly felt the feeling go away. The book was old to be fair...but it wasn't one he recognized. He didn't even recognize the title, for that matter. _Legend of the Reaper_? Last he had checked, he was a shinigami not a Reaper. Same went for the old man. In point of fact, he couldn't even recall a Reaper ever being mentioned back home, which made this odd.

Because clearly the book had to be related to him in some way, or they wouldn't have acted like this.

"Should I know something?" Ichigo asked, more for his own benefit than theirs.

Blake took the book back and opened it. She began reading the passage she had read earlier, getting nothing but a raised eyebrow out of Ichigo.

"So...strange coincidence?"

"Doubtful," the dark-haired girl replied.

"Yeah," Yang nodded after pushing her way into view, "I mean, what're the odds?"

An eyebrow went up in response, "I've never seen this book or heard of this guy before. I mean, yeah, Zanpakutō means Soul Cutter...but that's just what the name is. I don't know where it got it, but I doubt it was from this."

Thing was, Ichigo wasn't even lying there. Zanpakutō was an ancient name, a lot more ancient than a century. Hell, his old man was older than that!

"Are you sure about that?" Weiss spoke up.

"Pretty sure, yeah."

"Then why would they use the exact same name?"

"I don't know...a coincidence like I _just_ said?"

The heiress shook her head as she got to her feet, "No need to be sarcastic about it. Look, I would be the first to dismiss this book...but the way that blade is described is a lot like yours."

Yang nodded, "Yeah, it really is. Especially that attack! I distinctly remember _someone_ using something that sounded exactly the same but blue."

**"...she does have a point y'know. Whoever this guy was, that sounds a lot like a Getsuga."**

Zangetsu actually sounded subdued for once. Which considering the subject matter...was perfectly reasonable. While Ichigo wasn't lying at all when he said he had no idea what this book was talking about, it was problematic. Aura didn't function in a way that allowed for Getsuga-style attacks. It just didn't work that way. It would take someone with _Reiryoku_ to pull that off...and while everyone in Remnant had an above-average amount to correspond with their Aura...it would take an unusual individual to use a _reiatsu_ based attack.

Which was what this description clearly was.

"You do have to admit that it is strange how similar this description is to your attack," Blake spoke what Ichigo was thinking.

In response, all the teen could do was run a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I noticed. Look, I really don't know what this book is talking about. Maybe my old man does, but I don't. I've never heard of a Reaper, and I thought the Getsuga Tensho was unique to my father and I...I didn't think anyone else could use it. I could ask the old man if he knows anything."

_"That would be prudent, even if you have no intention of telling your friends the truth,"_ the Quincy portion of Zangetsu added, _"I find myself curious if your father knows who the subject of this book truly is."_

_"You aren't the only one..."_

**"Damn straight!" **

"You do that," Yang poked his chest, "Because I want to know too."

"Jeez, you're like a cat Yang," Ichigo shook his head in amusement.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You are easily the single most curious person I've ever met."

The blonde attempted to look affronted, before just grinning and slapping Ichigo's shoulder, "Quiet you."

Ichigo just rubbed his arm absently, before turning to Ruby, "Anyway, right now I think we have a bigger issue. Like getting Ruby to stop glowing."

"Good point..."

The redhead blinked at the attention, before remembering her predicament. Ichigo just smiled slightly...he had an idea of what was wrong. It had been an issue he himself had actually, back when he was first learning how to control his powers. Granted, when _he_ had the issue it had been rather more...explosive. At least Ruby had a better grasp on her Aura than he had had on his shinigami, Hollow and Quincy powers...granted, that wasn't really hard to do...

After all, Ichigo hadn't exactly had a fun time of managing such differing powers at once.

"What did I do wrong?" Ruby finally asked, looking at her hands.

"You're using it without thinking about it," Ichigo started, his own body taking on the familiar- to him anyway -blue glow, "if you use your Aura that way it'll stay active. That's why I have to seal Zangetsu...if I don't, I'd be walking around like this all the time."

"But how do I stop it then?" the girl cocked her head, looking almost like a curious puppy, "I don't have a sword like you do."

_"Zangetsu?"_

A hum answered that question, as the Quincy spirit frowned, deep in thought.

_"I believe the issue at hand is Crescent Rose not being a __Zanpakutō. Without that, attempting to meld her power with it is drawing her Aura out. It is attempting to meld with the weapon, but the weapon cannot meld properly. All Ruby is doing right now is extending her Aura. Unless she makes a conscious effort to stop...it will continue until she tires herself." _

"You need to stop extending your Aura," Ichigo relayed to his friend and leader.

"I tried that already..."

Putting a smile on his face that he normally reserved for his sisters, Ichigo placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. With the addition of physical contact, he could more easily feel what was going on with her. While Ichigo would still be the first to admit his sensory abilities were...bad...at best, his _Quincy_ abilities did give him something of an advantage.

"Ichigo? What the hell are you doing?" Yang asked, when she saw the blue and red lights intermingling.

"Working," he replied tensely.

It was far from easy for him to do this. All the teen had to go off was his memories of his father doing the same for him, and aid from Zangetsu...the helpful one.

**"Asshole."**

Ignoring his blade, Ichigo looked at Ruby who was looking at _him_ with wide silver eyes...just the barest hint of red around the edges, "Can you feel my Aura?"

"Yeah!" Ruby replied, her voice awed, "I've never felt something like this before!"

"You get used to it," the older teen replied, "now, look at it. Can you feel how it's tied to Zangetsu?"

With his blade pushing their own energy out to accentuate the connection, it wasn't hard for Ruby to do so. She nodded rapidly, the feeling unlike anything she had felt before.

"Yeah, I can feel it!"

Nodding slightly, Ichigo pointed at Crescent Rose, "Now, feel your connection to Crescent Rose."

Ruby nodded, closing her eyes. Ichigo could feel her focusing on the tenuous connection to her weapon. With the direct contact between his spiritual powers and her Aura, it would have been harder to not feel it.

"Got it?"

"Sorta."

Ichigo nodded again, "Good, now look at how I connect to Zangetsu...and try to mimic that."

"Okay!"

The mixing of his spirit energy with her Aura grew brighter, something that started to steadily weird out the other girls. Ichigo could see Yang out of the corner of his eyes, clearly holding herself back from running forward. If the little hints he had seen up to now were any indication, she was every bit as protective of Ruby as he was of his sisters. It was probably not fun for her to just watch something like this. She was probably going to punch him when everything was said and done actually...

Weiss and Blake, by contrast, just had almost amusingly similar looks of curiosity on their faces. Understandable, considering what he was currently doing with Ruby and all. Turning his eyes away from his team, he focused back on Ruby. Now the tough part was coming...getting her connection with Crescent Rose established. The weapon wasn't a Zanpakutō by any means, so he had no true idea what to expect. This was going to be interesting...

"Ichigo?" Ruby's voice also served to distract him, "I feel funny..."

"Oh shi..."

**"King!"**

Ichigo could feel the surge of power before it was released, but couldn't do anything about it. A brilliant flash of red light sent him flying head-over-heels into the wall, narrowly missing Yang who ran right past him towards her sister. Groaning softly, the shinigami pulled himself up and shook his head to clear the stars.

_"That could have gone better."_

_"You're telling _me_ that? Damn...that was just like what happened when I unlocked Shikai! Wait...tell me she didn't..."_

_"She did not."_

Breathing a soft sigh of relief that he hadn't inadvertently turned his leader into a shinigami, Ichigo walked over to the sisters. Yang was fussing over her sister almost like a mother, while Ruby just looked tired. And surprised, as her body had stopped glowing.

"What did I do?" the hooded girl asked tiredly.

"Finish what you started," Ichigo replied, pausing before continuing with, "I think."

"You _think_?" Yang asked.

Holding his hands up, the teen shrugged, "Like I said, I used an actual Zanpakutō remember?"

"I felt like something snapped into place," Ruby added, "Remember how I said it was like a rubber band Yang?"

**"That's one way of describing it,"** Zangetsu shrugged.

Blake chose that moment to break in, "Crescent Rose is still glowing."

As one, the team turned to look at the sniper-scythe. Which was, indeed, still glowing a faint red. That didn't worry Ichigo though...unlike the rest of the team, he could sense what was happening. Ruby's Aura had fully melded with the weapon, and that process was just finishing up. In fact, as he watched...the glow faded away completely. He couldn't say how things would go in actually _using_ this new connection though. Or even what form the connection would take.

It wasn't like Ichigo was an _expert_ on the subject or anything like that, after all.

"It stopped," Weiss frowned, looking down on the weapon, "what does that mean?"

Again as one, the girls turned to look at their token male teammate. Ichigo just held his hands up, no more idea than them. But they probably expected an answer from him nonetheless.

"I _think_," putting emphasis on that word, Ichigo motioned Ruby to pick her weapon up, "that it means this worked. Her Aura is tied to Crescent Rose now, as much as it can be without a proper Zanpakutō. Haven't got the slightest idea what that means though."

"You don't?" Ruby asked, not feeling anything different about her weapon.

Ichigo shrugged, "Not a clue. I'd assume it'll be easier for you to use your Aura to beef up attacks if I had to guess. Like making your bullets stronger? Maybe?"

Yang laughed, "You don't have any idea either, do you?"

"Nope."

"We should study this," Blake suggested, a curious tone to her voice now.

"Well duh," Ruby grinned, her energy quickly returning, "I want to see how this works!"

Not wanting to dampen his leader's enthusiasm but well aware how _bad_ an idea that was, Ichigo shook his head, "Nah, we need to let Ruby rest. If this is like what happened with me...trust me, you'll need it."

"I'm totally fine!" the girl protested, but still swayed as she got to her feet.

"You were saying?"

Grinning sheepishly, Ruby fell into her sister's side. Yang just smiled softly, and ruffled her sister's short hair. As if to prove Ichigo's point, Ruby didn't even swat at the hand as Yang lead her to her bed. As the sisters did their thing, Ichigo felt Blake and Weiss staring at him. Turning to the other members of his team, he already knew what they wanted. It wouldn't take a genius to know really...after stabilizing Ruby and giving her some yet-to-be-discovered advantage with Crescent Rose, of _course_ her teammates would want help too.

It was kinda obvious, really.

"You're helping us now," Weiss said first.

"Yeah," Blake agreed.

Ichigo just sighed, "Of course I am..."

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

_Yang and Ichigo...should I be worried?_

Ruby, well-recovered from her perhaps ill-advised experiment, sat around the training room with Weiss and Blake. And the rest of their class, in fact...as it had been over a week since her misadventure with her Aura. Probably one of the most fun weeks in her life, if you asked the young teenager. Being able to find new ways to use Crescent Rose was always awesome. The stuff she had learned in this week though? It was so awesome she couldn't even put it into words! Learning the stuff Ichigo taught was so much more fun than sitting through a lecture. Even if the older teen considered himself a horrible teacher, Ruby wasn't inclined to agree. The things she had learned about manipulating her Aura...she hadn't learned so much since her Uncle had taught her!

It had done a lot of good in getting her team to work together too. Even Weiss had enjoyed the training, which still surprised the leader. It had been nice...but now...now it would be time to put that to the test. Part of her wondered if that was why Professor Goodwitch had chosen Ichigo and Yang for this training match.

"Go Yang!" Ruby shouted down at her sister.

The blonde gave her a thumbs up, while Ichigo sent her a sour look. It was _hard_ to root for someone when both of them were people she liked...

"Are both combatants ready?" Goodwitch broke in, looking between the two teens.

"Ready!" Yang grinned, extending Ember Celica to accentuate the point.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, scowl welded onto his face as he drew the regular Zangetsu. Ruby had learned over the week that Ichigo only rarely used his Shikai...she didn't expect to see it in this match, which almost made her pout considering how awesome that weapon was.

Goodwitch nodded at the students, as Ruby leaned forward in her seat.

"Begin!"

Ichigo was the first to move, his blade angled down on Yang's shoulder. Her sister grinned at the attack, bringing Ember Celica up to take the hit. Sparks flew as grey blade slid across golden gauntlet, before Yang brought her other fist up. The sharp report of a shotgun shell forced Ichigo to jump back, as said shell flew into the nearby wall.

"That all you got Ichigo?" the blonde smirked.

A raised eyebrow answered her, "What do _you_ think?"

And with that statement, the two fighters launched at the other again. Ruby watched with jealous eyes, almost wishing it was her down there. Didn't matter if she was fighting her sister or her friend...it would have been so much fun. She had to sit this out though...not that it made her happy.

_I want to fight too!_

Not noticing the red-clad girl's pout, Ichigo brought Zangetsu around in a quick slice. Yang couldn't quite dodge the speed of Ichigo's blade, the absurdly sharp weapon forcing her back. Her Aura took the blow, but it still was hardly a fun thing to get hit by. And Ruby could see it did more damage than such an outwardly simple weapon should...Yang's Aura bar flickered for a second.

Of course, the blonde didn't frown. She just grinned even wider, thoroughly enjoying this spar. A fireball shot from her left gauntlet, scorching Ichigo's robe. The orangehead just scowled at the burn mark, before flashing into the movement that made even Ruby jealous. Of course, that jealousy came from experience watching it...experience that her sister had just as much of.

_Go Yang!_

Ruby cheered in her head, as her sister ducked under the swing Ichigo sent her way. Her foot shot out in a kick as she rolled to the side, a typical Yang move. Ichigo caught the kick by taking a hand off Zangetsu, using the momentum from the deceptively powerful blow to jump back.

"Nice one Ichigo!"

"I could say the same to you."

It was almost amusing how talkative the two were while fighting. Any other pair of students sparring would probably be quiet aside from the usual grunts. The young leader of RWBIY didn't know why they talked so much, but the running commentary was amusing at least. Of course, both went quiet quickly enough. Ichigo held Zangetsu at his side, as he ran forward. Yang, never one to back down from a fight, did the exact same. Pulling her fist back, she aimed to punch her opponent clean in the face.

Ichigo ducked underneath the blow, raising Zangetsu's blade at the same time. The long blade cleanly missed Yang's arm...but hit something far more valuable.

"Oh...oh no..." Ruby winced, turning her head away from the fight.

Weiss noticed this, and brought her eyebrow up as both Ruby _and_ Blake turned away.

"Why are you two doing that? She just lost some hair."

The leader quickly shook her head, "You don't understand Weiss! If you cut Yang's hair..."

"YOU JERK!"

"...that happens..." Ruby flinched slightly.

Down in the arena, Yang's eyes flashed red as she leaped straight from 'friendly spar' into 'how dare you touch my hair!' mode. Her Semblance, normally only activating after she was beat up, went right to full power. Ruby knew that well...she could remember one time Uncle Qrow had made the mistake of cutting Yang's hair in a spar. It hadn't been pretty...

"Wait!" Ichigo backed up, not knowing what he had done.

"Get back here!" Yang shouted, her red eyes and fiery hair giving her a terrifying appearance to anyone not named Ruby Rose.

Running forward at a speed far faster than normal, Yang's fists were a fire-coated blur as she laid into Ichigo. Her training in using her Aura had paid off big time, as those fiery fists punched into the other teens chest...the flames Yang's unique ability. The orangehead tried to back away, but when one got Yang into angry mode, it was futile to attempt to dodge or get away. She was like a burning orange blur, as her fists pounded into Ichigo. He could do nothing but take the hits, trying to bring Zangetsu around to get Yang off him. Unfortunately for Ichigo, Yang had built up enough energy for one final punch...that sent him head-over-heels into the wall.

Yang, for her part, panted as her anger faded away. And she realized what she had done fairly quickly as well. Eyes returning to cool lilac, she blinked rapidly.

"Oh god...Ichigo!"

The teen in question raised a hand shakily, "I'm fine...I think."

In point of fact, Ichigo had so much energy that even after that pounding he was still in the lower-green range on his Aura. Ruby couldn't believe her eyes on that...but the matches could be ended by other things than Aura limitations.

"Time," Goodwitch called, "Excellent spar you two. However, Miss Xiao Long? Please work on your temper. Help Mr. Kurosaki back to the stands."

The blonde scratched her head, "Heh...right. Come on Ichigo, stop laying around."

"You did this to me," the orangehead complained.

Ruby couldn't help but grin at the banter. Anyone else and they would be out-cold. Ichigo just cracked dry jokes like usual. Her attention was soon diverted back to the Professor however.

"Our final match for the day will be...Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester."

* * *

**AN: There we go. This chapter was fun to write...I'll admit, I've wanted to do the Ichigo/Yang spar for some time...because it was too amusing to pass up. I should note that each member of team RWBY has some unique ability tied to the training Ichigo put them through. In Yang's case, it's increasing the fire effect of her Semblance to tie into her weapon.  
**

**Each of them will have something similarly tied to their Aura/Semblance. Kinda like a Fullbring or Zanpakutō but _not_ one of those. They aren't going to suddenly become super-strong compared to their Canon selves. Consider it a boost of sorts, one that makes them more effective fighters, but doesn't completely upset the existing power levels.  
**

**On that note, hopefully that bit with Ruby worked. **

**And on one final note...remember, I use the _Japanese_ terms here. Shinigami is translated more properly as Death God/ God of Death. Not Soul Reaper...which this version of Ichigo has never heard used. Hence the confusion in relation to the book.**

**On to the reviews!**

**PersonaQeminod1, Telron, silentstrixe, yiggdrasill, Gravenimage, Taeniaea, Ranmaleopard, duskrider, desdelor97, Theburper, EntityXL, Guest, JJN37, The son of none, Matt, shugokage, hollowichigo12:** Thanks for the reviews!

**The10thDoctor1964:** Personally, I'm hoping Ichigo'll break out the new Bankai sooner than that. All of the team are going to be a bit stronger than canon, but nothing too extreme.

To me, Weiss is the type who'll take anything serious if she thinks it needs to be. In this case, she does.

**Natzo:** I figure Isshin would have wanted Karin and Yuzu to stay out of fighting as long as possible. Best way to do _that_ is keep them from the swords that can develop their abilities- though Yuzu doesn't have much to begin with.

**P-and-P:** Ichigo can use some Quincy abilities, but he can't do a bow- he lacks a pendant.

Hollow abilities are limited.

**Exanime Draco: **Admittedly I've been dropping hints so I expect someone'll pick up on the plot. I will say that my goal is to keep Ichigo's past to said hints...I'm trying to avoid giving everything away too soon. Like the fact the book gives more questions than answers- for both sides.

**xbox432:** Well Ichigo and family had to get there somehow didn't they?

**Drake93:** Don't worry, I'm being very careful to not overpower anything. As for the timeline...if you mean the Bleach side of things, consider it canon up to when Ichigo came to Remnant. Which I've been dropping hints on...

As for ages, he's 17 right now.

**Assault Godzilla:** Yeah, Ichigo just has bad luck follow him like a plague doesn't he? The rest of the team did succeed off-screen...Blake, Ruby and Weiss will have their abilities revealed later on, while Yang got her moment here.

**Fifth Horseman:** Oh definetly...Isshin needs to know about Ozpin, but also answer questions. 'Course, if Ichigo has to answer _his_ questions the strawberry is in for fun times...

**AN: There we go. Next chapter we jump back to RWBY canon...and what I'm sure people have been waiting for.**

**Ichigo, meet Cardin.**

**Review if you liked the chapter, and I'll see you all next time!**


	9. Dealing with Bullies

**AN: Regularly scheduled chapter ahoy. This one was fun to do, since it was the first time we've jumped from team RWB(I)Y in perspective.  
**

**The Cardin part turned out about as well as I think I could have done it though. That was surprisingly difficult.**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

**"Yang hits like a fuckin truck."**

_"Indeed."_

_"I don't think I've ever taken that hard a hit. I wonder if I can get her to knock some sense into the old man..."  
_

**"Nah, even _that_ won't be enough Kingy."  
**

Ichigo inwardly sighed, but didn't dispute the point. Isshin Kurosaki was the very definition of 'thick-headed' for a reason. Pushing that aside for the moment- he didn't really _want_ his father near his teammates anyway -Ichigo sat down next to Ruby. He couldn't quite cover a small wince though, that got a worried look from the younger girl. His Hollow-derived enhanced healing was nice, but it wasn't enough to totally dull the pain. Especially not when he was getting physical _and_ flame damage from Yang's punches. Sometimes he wished his spiritual powers worked the same as Aura...

Oh well, it was hardly the first time he'd been sore after a sparring bout. Ichigo just hadn't expected Yang to go ballistic on him just for a few cut hairs. Made him wonder why she was so overprotective of her hair...he'd only do the same if someone threatened his sisters. Then again, he wasn't a woman. Maybe that was why he didn't understand...

"You okay Ichigo?" speak of the devil, and she shall sit down next to you. Yang had a slightly guilty look on her face too.

"Eh, I'm fine," the orangehead replied, waving a hand.

"You don't _look_ fine," Ruby broke in, her worried look transferring to her voice.

Considering he likely looked tired as his energy was being put to work healing bruised ribs- and possibly a cracked one -Ichigo didn't doubt that he looked like crap.

"Guys, I'm fine."

Didn't mean he wasn't stubborn enough to deny it, of course.

Yang still looked unconvinced, "Sure you are...sorry about that by the way. Uncle Qrow told me to control that better, but you touch the hair..."

"You get the horns?" Ichigo dryly replied, blinking when Yang and Ruby sent him confused looks. For their parts, Blake and Weiss were too busy watching as Jaune and Cardin moved to start their match.

"Yang doesn't have horns silly!" Ruby giggled, looking at her sister with a curious look, "Do you?"

"Of course not," the blonde sent her sister an incredulous look before turning back to the other teen, "why did you say that Ichigo?"

"Err...

**"Ya need to be more careful what you say Kingy."**

Ichigo could hardly deny _that_ point either. He tended to forget that things he said may not have an equivalent in Remnant. Come to think of it...he hadn't ever even _seen_ a bull in Remnant before. In which case, it wouldn't surprise him if Ruby and Yang had never heard that particular saying before. They might just have never had the opportunity...or it may just not exist in Remnant. Which could be a problem.

He already had Yang watching his every move, damn curious woman that she was. The last thing he needed was _more_ reason for the girls to watch him. He still hadn't quite convinced them that he really _didn't_ know what that old book was talking about. It was enough to drive someone mad. If he wasn't already mad anyway...Zangetsu wasn't exactly the sign of a healthy mind.

**"I resemble that remark."**

"Seriously," Yang broke in again, "I've never heard someone say that before."

"It's an old saying," Ichigo said, improvising on the spot, "Y'know, if you mess with a horned Grimm you'll get gored?"

"Uh huh..." clearly, the blonde didn't believe him.

Ruby looked between the two, a curious look on her face, "I think I get it! You have to admit Yang, if you cut your hair you do get angry."

"Of course!" Yang nodded, "You don't touch the hair."

The resident shinigami snorted, "And I would have appreciated being told this _before_ I fought you with a _sword_."

Ichigo could make that joke, because he was happy enough to get onto a different subject. It was substantially better than talking about awkward things he couldn't easily explain anyway...

"Eh, didn't seem important at the time," the elder sister shrugged.

"I thought she had told you already..." Ruby added.

"She didn't."

Yang mock glared at Ichigo, before snickering as she slapped his arm. Holding his arm, Ichigo just scowled back at her. It was all in good fun though. If the blonde had _actually_ been annoyed with him, the orangehead expected a lot more than a slap on the arm. By the same token, he was hardly angry at her for forgetting to mention her hair-triggered- literally -temper. It would have been nice to know in advance, but he could take a lot more of a beating than he let on so no harm done.

Even if it still hadn't been particularly _fun_, of course.

"The match is starting," Blake broke into the conversation.

Turning his head, Ichigo saw that the dark-haired girl was correct. Jaune had his sword out and his shield extended, as he stood across from Cardin Winchester. The latter teen had a massive mace with a red gem in the center of its...bladed...macehead. That thing looked more dangerous than Jaune's antique by far. Ichigo knew better than to judge a book by its cover...but then again...

"This isn't going to end well," he predicted.

"Why?" Weiss asked, finally looking over.

"Jaune is not a fighter," he repeated what he had said to Ruby and Yang at varying times.

Weiss just frowned, "Clearly he is if he got into Beacon. He's a dolt, but he has to have _some_ skill."

"I don't know. You've seen me train...does _that_ look like a combat stance to you?"

The rest of the team turned to look back at the match, where Jaune looked decidedly...nervous. His grip on his sword was weak, and his feet were placed entirely wrong. Contrast that with Cardin who just looked bored, but even _then_ showed actual experience. Granted the latter's armor was just pointless dead-weight in a world of Aura.

"...I see your point," the heiress' frown deepened.

Ichigo didn't have any time to reply to that. For before he could, Professor Goodwitch walked into view again. The older woman looked at the two fighters on the stage, a fairly disapproving look at Jaune's stance.

"Begin."

With that single word, the match started. Cardin dropped his mace off his shoulder, a cocky grin on his face as he almost taunted Jaune to come forward. The blonde grimaced, but didn't falter. Or...at least he didn't falter in determination. Squaring his shoulders, Jaune let out a shout as he charged at the much bigger teen. The blonde brought his sword down, aiming directly at Cardin's shoulder. In the audience, Ichigo winced...as Jaune's sword hit nothing. Cardin was huge and wearing pointless armor, but that didn't mean he was _slow_.

Spinning his mace lazily, Cardin hit Jaune's shield with a resounding gong. The blonde's blue eyes went wide, as he went flying into the ground. It was a testament to his great-grandfather's skill that the shield didn't even show a dent after that devastating blow...but it didn't change the fact that getting hit like that _hurt_. He stumbled upon getting up, wincing slightly.

_"Damn...that didn't look fun."_

**"Well we knew he wasn't a fighter...by the way, remind me to kick your ass if you ever get that rusty."**

Electing to ignore that statement, Ichigo focused on Jaune. The other teen had just executed a surprisingly good roll away from Cardin, who's mace had impacted the floor where he had been standing. His own sword came down on Cardin once more...only for the armored teen to catch it on his own weapon. With a grunt, Cardin threw Jaune away from him, cocky grin never once leaving his face. It was almost painful for Ichigo to watch...such a mismatched fight. It reminded him of when he first started training with the old man.

Painful to watch or not, he had to give Jaune credit for raw determination at least. The blonde just picked himself right up off the floor, despite his Aura meter dipping into the yellow. Even if he wasn't a good fighter, he sure knew how to channel his stubbornness.

**"Pot, meet kettle."**

_"Oi."_

_"He does have a point."_

Damn mutinous spirit...

"Jaune doesn't look that hot," Yang broke in.

Blake's frown showed she felt the same way, "Yeah..."

For her part, Ruby looked torn between worry and trying to cheer Jaune on. Considering he was the second- and only one outside her team -friend she had at Beacon that was easy to understand.

"Come on Jaune!" eventually she settled for cheering.

It seemed like the blonde appreciated it too. He smiled up at Ruby, before squaring his shoulders again. It was clear enough that he was hurting from the panting he was doing, but the teen wasn't going to give up either. Jaune pushed himself up from his kneeling position, and jumped at Cardin one last time. A fierce shout came from his lips, as his sword swung down on the armored man...

Only for Cardin to smirk, as he neatly sidestepped Jaune's swing and knocked his shield from his hands.

_Ouch..._

Jaune stumbled back to his feet, but _still_ refused to give up. Holding his sword with both hands now, he charged at Cardin once more. This time the larger teen didn't even bother dodging. He brought his mace up, catching the sword easily. Jaune pushed down with all his strength, but Cardin was _that_ much stronger...as he pushed right back.

"This is the part where you _lose_," Cardin finally spoke.

"Over my dead bod..."

Before Jaune could finish that statement, Cardin kicked him right in the...family jewels. Even Ichigo winced at that one. Correction...even _Zangetsu_ winced at that.

**"Low blow man. Even I wouldn't do that!"**

Considering the Hollow was all for winning at all costs, that said something about Cardin's tactics. As low a blow- literally -as that had been though, it wasn't what had Ichigo jumping up from his seat, his hands ready to make some sort of attempt at Bakudo. Which, it was worth noting, he was horrible at...unless it was the higher level ones he didn't want people seeing.

No, what had him jumping up in his seat was Cardin holding his _bladed mace_ above Jaune, who was curled up on the floor without any defense beyond his sword. With his Aura in the red, a blow from that mace could do some _serious_ damage right now. Was Cardin stupid enough that he would bring it down anyway? What if he killed Jaune!

_That bastard better not..._

Luckily for everyone involved, the lights snapped back on as Goodwitch walked into view again, "Cardin, that's enough."

"Tch," the armored teen backed up, looking thoroughly disappointed he couldn't hit Jaune again.

Goodwitch sent a disapproving look at the teen, before turning to the other students, "As you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura is in the red. In a tournament style duel, that would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and an official can call the match."

As she said that, the woman turned to look at Jaune, who looked distinctly put out.

"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please pay attention to your scroll during battle, it is helpful to gauge when to attack...and when to move to a more defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf now would we?"

Cardin snorted, "Speak for yourself."

Even Ichigo couldn't hold back his temper when someone said something like that. His amber eyes narrowed at the unrepentant leader of CRDL, as he walked off the stage. The shinigami noticed that Yang at least saw his eyes narrow, as she looked between him and the other teen. Then again, Yang had always seemed to be the most observant of his teammates, at least when it came to him. He had always wondered why that was the case too...

But that wasn't the issue at hand here. That was what to do about that jerk that just beat up on Jaune Arc.

"What an asshole," Ichigo ground out.

"No argument here," Yang agreed, cracking her knuckles.

Ruby just looked at her downed friend, "Poor Jaune..."

Before any more on that subject could be said, Goodwitch broke in once more. Though this time it appeared to be the last thing she had to say. If only because of the subject matter...

"Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. Students from the other Kingdoms will start arriving any day now," the Professor said, prompting everyone in team RWBIY but Ichigo and Blake to start acting all excited, "so keep practicing. Those who compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."

As the bell rang, Ichigo sighed slightly. The festival wasn't as exciting for him as his team...he didn't want the attention that would come from it. He'd have no issues qualifying, and that wasn't his ego talking. But he didn't _want_ the attention. And in any case, the tournament was the least of his concerns right now. For now...that was the teen struggling to his feet, and walking over to the rest of his team.

Something needed to be done about Jaune Arc. Ichigo wasn't sure if it should be him...but someone needed to get him up to par. He wasn't going to last much longer at Beacon, leave alone in actual combat, if someone didn't train him to fight better...

**"You've got that right Kingy..."**

And for once, all Ichigo could do was inwardly nod at his darker side.

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long  
**

* * *

"There we were...surrounded by Ursai..."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

In any other situation, Yang would likely have been listening to Nora Valkyrie with rapt attention. The girl was worse than Ruby on a sugar-high, something that Yang had never thought possible before. And it made her stories always amusing, especially with the way she acted them out. On top of that, Lie Ren was even more deadpan than Ichigo, which made the contrast between the friends amusing on its own. But, while the blonde made an effort to look interested- unlike Weiss who was filing her nails and Blake who was, surprise, reading a book -she wasn't _really_ paying attention. Because right now, she had something rather more important to think about.

Or, more accurately, _someone_ to worry about. Ever since Jaune's fight with Cardin, Ichigo had been...off. Like he was trying to think of something. He didn't share what he was thinking either, which was odd. He wasn't the openest person to begin with, but this was different. It was possible, likely even, that it had something to do with Jaune. Ichigo had been quite clear on how he thought of the blonde's fighting ability- or lack thereof. If he was thinking about that, it would explain a lot of things.

_Still annoying though. I like talkative Ichigo. He's _boring_ when he gets all moody._

"...but in the end, Ren and I killed them all and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs," Nora finished her tale, plopping down in her seat with a satisfied smirk on her face.

For his part, Ren just facepalmed, the motion becoming more and more common to Ichigo's amusement, "She's been having this recurring dream for well over a month now."

"A month?" Yang laughed, though her attention was still only _sorta_ focused on the NR part of JNPR.

"Yes," the other teen sounded more exasperated than anything else.

Shaking her head in clear amusement, Yang grinned, "Sounds like Ruby when she was a kid."

"Hey," the girl in question complained, though _her_ attention was only partly on her sister. In fact, just as Yang kept sending side-glances at Ichigo, Ruby was doing the same with Jaune.

Who, to be fair, was clearly in a bad mood judging from the way he picked at his food. Unsurprisingly, Pyrrha had easily picked up on that. She had always seemed closer to Jaune than anyone else, Ruby included.

"Jaune, is something wrong?" the redhead finally asked.

"Huh," Jaune asked, looking up from his food, "No, I'm fine! Why do you ask?"

Ruby clenched her hands, looking nervously at the table, "Well, it's just that you seem a little...not okay."

"Guys, I'm fine! See, look," as he said that, Jaune held his hand up, the thumb up in the universal 'everything's good' signal. Of course, it was rather ruined by his weak chuckle and fake smile.

Not to mention the fact he turned his head to look behind the two teams. And now that Yang looked herself, Ichigo- who hadn't said a thing -was looking in the same direction. And she could _feel_ anger rolling off him in waves. Which was not normal...Ichigo was fairly chill. Yang should know, considering her _own_ temper issues made her rather familiar with anger.

Following both the boys looks though, she could easily see why Ichigo was annoyed...if not why he was _royally pissed off_. Because the entirety of team CRDL was currently laughing and crowding in a Faunus girl, her race clear from the rather large rabbit ears on her head. The way they were crowding her in was enough to get a low growl out of Yang herself.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school," Pyrrha commented, as the blonde boy clenched his fist.

"Who, Cardin Winchester?" Jaune tried to wave it off again, "Nah, he's just messing around. Y'know, practical jokes and all that."

_Okay...that one sucked._

Even Ruby had no problem seeing through that, and she was notoriously bad at stuff like that. Yang blinked when she saw the fierce look cross her sister's face though. Apparently she _was_ picking things up from Ichigo, if the scowl on her face was any indication.

"He's a bully," the leader of RWBIY said with absolute conviction.

Her friend wasn't giving up easily though, "Oh come on, name one time he's 'bullied' me."

The air-quotes Jaune broke out did nothing to convince, well, anyone of his sincerity. It wasn't like the rest of the teens were blind to things. It was quite easy to remember the times Cardin had picked on the 'vomit boy'. Knocking his books out of his hand. Messing with his extending shield to trap him in a door. And of course, the crown jewel of the bullying that the armored teen got up to. Locking Jaune in one of the rocket propelled lockers. Yang could have sworn Ichigo was going to catch on fire like...well, her...that time.

If nothing else, it seemed like Jaune realized what they were thinking at least.

"I didn't land that far from the school," he weakly attempted.

Pyrrha wasn't fooled, "You know Jaune, if you ever need help you just have to ask."

"I know!" Nora leaped to her feet, a scary grin on her face, "We'll break his legs!"

Everyone stared at the orange-haired girl, who just kept up the grin.

_That was a bit scary._

Shaking her head, Yang smirked at the potential jokes she could make out of this one. She didn't get a chance to break out a pun though, because Jaune got to his feet, signalling the end of the conversation.

"Guys, I'm fine," the blonde said, "Besides, its not like he just picks on me. He's a jerk to _everyone_."

Case in point...

"Ow, that hurts!" the Faunus girl complained, her accent fairly odd. Not that her voice was the issue..._that_ was Cardin tugging on her ear like he thought it was fake.

The armored teen and his teammates were just laughing up a storm, as the girl struggled to pull away, "What do you know, it _is_ real!"

Yang felt her temper flaring up, and glared at the idiots across the cafeteria. But if _her_ reaction was bad, it was nothing on Ichigo's. A snap announced him breaking his fork in two, as the orangehead got to his feet, anger practically flashing out of his eyes. Yang blinked rapidly, as her friend stomped around the table. Ichigo didn't seem to notice the attention he was getting though, as he stopped by Cardin. The other teen looked up, never once letting go of the Faunus girl's ear.

"What do _you_ want orange boy?" Cardin laughed, "Come to join the fun?"

Ichigo didn't say anything, as his hand came down on Cardin's arm.

"Hey, what do you think you're do...ing!"

Without saying anything, Ichigo broke Cardin's grip on the girl, flipped him over the table, and stomped his back into the floor. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to look, as Yang's eyes widened. She knew Ichigo could fight with his hands- the best way for her and him to spar was hand-to-hand -but this...she hadn't seen him do something like that before. Maybe he wasn't bothering to hold back against Cardin?

_Damn Ichigo! Someone's angry!_

"Apologize," Ichigo finally spoke up, his voice low and faintly exuding the power that his team knew he possessed.

Cardin wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch though, "Why should...I..."

The orangehead just drove his foot deeper into Cardin's back, "Because you're the one on the floor you idiot. Now apologize."

Shocked at what had happened or not, the rest of team CRDL recovered quickly enough. They rushed at Ichigo, fists raised to get him off their leader. Yang winced in sympathy...for them. This wasn't going to end well for the bullies...

And as Ichigo ducked under one swing and brought his fist up into the jaw of Dove, the point was brought home. The other teen went flying into the air, coming down on a table, sending a group of students scattering. Russel and Lark were a bit more cautious at least, circling Ichigo instead. As the students who weren't scattering started cheering 'fight', Russel moved forward. His fist came towards Ichigo's face, prompting nothing but a deeper scowl from the orangehead. Who ducked to the side, jumping into the air as Lark attempted to hit him from behind.

Spinning in midair, Ichigo's foot came down on Russel's face, sending him crashing into the ground...cleanly knocked out. Lark looked at his team, and made the wise decision to try running away. _Try_ being the key word there. Ichigo kicked Russel into him, sending both to the ground.

"Whoa..." Ruby muttered softly.

Because the impressive thing? Other than his jump, Ichigo had never once stopped standing on Cardin. Yang was almost jealous...if not for the fact that Ichigo didn't really have a set style to his fighting. Which gave her a bit of an ego boost...always nice to see _one_ thing she had over the other teen, even if her own style was rather hodgepodge.

"Now, where were we?" Ichigo asked the teen at his feet.

Cardin growled, but knew when he was overmatched, "Fine, I'm _sorry_."

Ichigo clearly didn't believe him, but just sighed and kicked him again for good measure, "Whatever."

And with that, the orangehead left the cafeteria behind.

"What just happened?" Jaune spoke for everyone.

"I'm not sure..." Blake replied, though she sent an approving look at Ichigo's back.

"I'll find out!" Yang jumped to her feet.

Ruby blinked, "Wait...what?"

"Hey, I'm the best at getting something outta him!"

Yang didn't stay behind to see the reaction to that- mostly sniggering from Nora -as she ran after her friend. It didn't take long to find him, leaning against a wall and breathing a bit more heavily than normal. It wasn't from exhaustion either...if Ichigo hadn't been panting after their spar, he wouldn't be after that. The way he was acting was far more like he was trying to get his temper under control. The way he was holding a hand over his eyes was decidedly odd though...

That being said, after what he just did, he probably _needed_ to rein his temper in. Yang had the same issue when she got really worked up over something. Controlling a temper after letting it lose took some doing, especially if it was something that really got it going. In her case, that was hurting Ruby or touching her hair in the wrong way. In Ichigo's case...well, that was the question wasn't it? What had set him off? The bullying...seemed like the logical option.

"Hey, Ichigo!" the blonde shouted.

A sigh answered her, as Ichigo got his breathing under control. He took his hand off his eyes, taking one last breath before turning around. Yang could have sworn she saw a flash of black in his eye...but when he fully turned towards her, it was just the typical amber.

"Yang?"

"Yup!" she replied easily, "What was that back there? I've never seen you blow your top like that."

"I can't stand bullies," Ichigo replied, his fist still clenched slightly, "Never have been able to. Picking on someone weaker than you...I hate it."

Well, that answered that question, "I can tell. How come it took this long for you to blow up?"

This time it was a snort that answered her, "You know how much I hate attention. Bashing those idiot's heads together isn't exactly doing me any favors."

"Good point..."

Sitting down next to the wall, Ichigo sighed again. Yang sat next to him, the place they were in out of immediate sight at least. She could recognize a nervous tick from Ichigo too, when he ran his hand through his hair. It was either that or scratching the back of his neck...when he did either, it was because something was on his mind.

"If you have power or skill," he began, out of the blue, "you should use that to protect others. Especially with the Grimm just outside the Kingdoms...we are here to learn how to protect others. That's all I've ever wanted to do..."

"Ichigo..."

"So why, then, are people using their power to hurt others?" a shake of the head accompanied the statement, "God, I sound all moody. Sorry about that."

Yang just patted him on the shoulder, "Nah, it's no big deal. I kinda agree anyway. Hopefully the Profs will do something now that you beat them up."

"Yeah, one can hope."

"Come on, let's get to class," Yang pulled herself to her feet, sticking a hand out to Ichigo, "Wouldn't want to be late."

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming."

Taking her hand, Ichigo pulled himself to his feet. Sending her a grateful look- that she answered with her typical grin -the two teens moved to meet up with the rest of their team. History class was next...and that was _always_ interesting...

* * *

**Pyrrha Nikos**

* * *

"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about confining the Faunus to Menagerie..."

Even Pyrrha Nikos had issues following this specific professor. Professor Oobleck was fast in more ways than one. He zoomed through his lecture, zipping about the room so fast that it looked almost like what Ichigo Kurosaki did. In point of fact...even that teen seemed to have just given up on following the green-haired professor. Then again, at least Ichigo was awake and taking notes. Pyrrha could see that was more than could be said for Cardin, who just lounged in his chair, sending dirty looks at Ichigo. Considering what he had done earlier, that was hardly surprising. Pyrrha still had to thank the other teen for that...someone had needed to put Cardin in his place, as he bullied anyone weaker than himself.

That being said, the bully was not a worry in this class. What had the redheaded Huntress-in-training worried was Jaune. Her close friend- her _best_ friend -was dozing off in his chair. That really worried Pyrrha, maybe more than it should have. She knew better than anyone how her friend struggled with school. Pyrrha had watched as Jaune fumbled for answers to questions, and it had almost hurt to watch his duel with Cardin. So seeing him sleeping in class...

_Jaune, please focus..._

The girl kept her own focus on the rapidly moving Professor, as he continued on his breathless lecture.

"Now, while this may seem like ancient history to many of you, it is important to realize that these are relatively recent events," Oobleck continued, "why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"

As he said that, the Professor stopped moving in the center of the lecture hall, "Now, have any of you been discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"

Only a handful of hands came up at that, including the poor girl Cardin had bullied earlier in the day. Pyrrha couldn't help a flash of indignation going through her body. She hated people like that...who discriminated against someone just because they had an extra body part or two. The Professor seemed to agree, if the slight frown he wore was any indication.

"Yes, yes...simply dreadful," a slight shake of the head accompanied that statement, "remember students, it is this type of thinking that breeds violence. I mean...I mean...just look at the White Fang!"

Zooming around the room, Oobleck shot off into another tangent as quickly as the last, "Now which of you can tell me what is widely believed to be the turning point during the third year of the war?"

That was a question Pyrrha could have answered. Her education had covered many things, and the Faunus War was second only to the Great War in its importance to Remnant's history. However, she didn't like the attention...it would seem odd those around her, but she got enough attention as it was. She didn't _like_ being the center of everyone's eyes. So she didn't raise her hand, as behind her Weiss Schnee's hand shot into the air. The Professor nodded up at the heiress, as Pyrrha looked up at her herself.

If there was anyone in the class who would know, it would probably be her. The Schnee family was every bit as serious in their training as Pyrrha's educators had been.

"The battle at Fort Castle," Weiss answered with absolute certainty.

The Professor sipped his coffee, a smile crossing his face, "Exactly! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagoon's forces?"

As he asked that, Pyrrha saw Cardin flick something at Jaune out of the corner of her eye. She winced at the sight...as Jaune snapped awake and gained the Professor's attention. She had been prepared to answer the question herself, but now...

"Ah, Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, just excellent! Now tell me, what is the answer?"

Jaune blinked, clearly flustered by the question. Pyrrha could only wince again in sympathy. His sleeping was going to hurt him here.

_No...I can help him!_

Bolstered by that thought, Pyrrha tried to get her friends attention as he stumbled for the answer.

"Um...the answer? The advantage the Faunus had was..." the blonde slowly spoke, as his blue eyes noticed Pyrrha's attempts to gain his attention.

Naturally, she knew the answer was night vision. For all the jokes made at the expense of the Faunus' animal features, that truly was their greatest advantage over human warriors. Being able to see perfectly in the dark was such an edge, that trying to do a night attack played more into their hands than hurt them like a similar move on a human army.

Of course, getting that across to Jaune was not the easiest thing in the world. Pyrrha pointed at her eyes and made circles over them, hoping her friend got the hint. Unfortunately for her...

"Binoculars!" the blonde shouted triumphantly.

As Professor Oobleck sipped his coffee, the sound of hands hitting faces echoed through the room. Much as she liked Jaune, Pyrrha couldn't help but 'facepalm'. The same went for Ichigo, who had long ago perfected the art of doing so. Jaune seemed to realize his mistake, as he slipped lower in his seat. That made his friend feel guilty over her frustration...it wasn't his fault. It was her fault for not making it more clear! Yeah, that was it. She needed to work on her miming then.

"Very funny Mr. Arc," the Professor sounded disappointed, as he turned to the teen above Jaune, "Cardin, perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject?"

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an _animal_ than a soldier," Cardin replied.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Pyrrha turned around, seeing Ichigo scowling fiercely at Cardin. She had been ready to say something to the bigoted teen herself...calling a Faunus an animal was an all too common insult. One that she could never stand. It would seem that her orange haired classmate was rather quicker than her however.

"Why you..."

Ichigo was unmoved, "Faunus are every bit as human as anyone else. They have an extra appendage or two, but calling them animals? Yeah, I'm sticking with you being an idiot. The answer was night vision, by the way. Right _Sensei_?"

Blinking at the odd term- and noting Weiss sending Ichigo a strange look -Pyrrha turned to the professor, "Indeed. The General was unprepared for the Faunus' ability to see in the dark."

"And he made the mistake of trying to attack the Faunus in their sleep," Blake continued, "his massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured. Perhaps if he had payed more attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as a failure."

That not so subtle jab didn't fly over Cardin's head, unlike most anything else. He growled and got to his feet, but a simultaneous glare from Ichigo and cough from Professor Oobleck made him back down.

"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat," the older man sounded quite disappointed in his student, "You and Mr. Arc can both join me after class."

"Aww..." Jaune looked distinctly put out by that, as the Professor continued the lecture.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"You two go on ahead, I'll wait for Jaune."

Pyrrha smiled at her teammates, as she decided to wait outside the classroom. Jaune would do good having a friendly face waiting for him. She could only imagine he wasn't having a fun time in there, with the Professor telling him off and Cardin as his only company. She knew she would love having him waiting for her if the situation was reversed. And she knew Jaune would appreciate the gesture too, since that was just his personality. He was always thankful, even when he didn't need to be.

It was a refreshing change of pace really.

"Ow," speak of her friend...and he shall be pushed to the floor by a smirking Cardin.

Sighing softly, Pyrrha picked Jaune up to his feet, "You know, I really will break his legs. Ichigo would probably hold him down too."

Jaune just sighed in response, looking distinctly downtrodden. It heart Pyrrha, more than her friend could possibly know, to see him like that. One of the things she loved about Jaune was his endless optimism and joking personality. Seeing him depressed...was not something she ever wanted to see. And certainly not something the Huntress-in-training would let continue if she could avoid it!

"I know! Come with me!" Grinning widely, she tugged on the blonde's arm.

"Wait...what?!"

Charging through Beacon's halls, Pyrrha soon came across her destination. The roof, a place she liked going to stargaze on occasion. It was relaxing up there...when it was empty.

"Oh, hey Pyrrha."

"Hi Jaune!"

Blinking slowly, the redhead saw a surprising sight when she opened the door this time however. Team RWBIY was on the roof, in the middle of practicing...something. She wasn't quite sure what, considering all of them were sitting on the ground, though Ruby had jumped to her feet with a wide grin on her face.

"What..."

Ichigo scratched his head sheepishly, "Sorry, did you need the roof?"

"I was going to use it, yes," Pyrrha nodded slowly.

"We'll go then," the orangehead replied, "Come on, we'll finish this tomorrow."

"Aww...I was having fun," Ruby pouted.

Yang grinned at her sister, even as Jaune laughed in the background, "Come on sis, you can take a break for once."

"Lord knows you need it," Weiss added.

Blake remained silent, though she nodded with a small smile at the members of JNPR. Pyrrha smiled back, as the female members of the other team left the roof behind. Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked by though, leaning over to whisper in the girl's ear.

"You've got a little birdy eavesdropping on you," Ichigo said, nodding at the edge of the roof, "I'll get him outta there. Wait for my signal before you say anything you don't want him hearing."

Pyrrha blinked again, "Okay?"

Because Ichigo could only be talking about Cardin. No one else would have _reason_ to listen in to what she and Jaune would talk about. But why would he be...and how did Ichigo know he was there? Before she could ask, the orangehead had vanished through the door though. All she could do was look at the door, and then at Jaune who looked just as surprised as she felt. Ichigo was _fast_ when he wanted to be. Not to mention neither of them had the slightest clue what was going on.

Clearly, team RWBIY had been training. But...why? That was something Pyrrha didn't understand.

"What just happened?" Jaune finally asked.

"I...am not sure," Pyrrha replied, before a flash of blue came from the ledge.

Rushing over to look down, the redhead saw Ichigo's head sticking out a window. A window to a dorm...had he just dragged all of CRDL out of their room, just so she could talk to Jaune in peace? He sent her a thumbs up, before vanishing from sight. Evidently that had been the signal then...

"Um, why did you bring me up here?" Jaune asked, as he moved next to her, "I'm depressed, but I'm not _that_ depressed."

_What? Does he mean..._

"No!" pushing her friend away from the ledge, the young woman sent him an incredulous look, "That's not why I brought you up here!"

A raised eyebrow answered that statement, her friend clearly confused as to why he was up here. Pyrrha couldn't blame him really...it was probably odd from his perspective after all. But she had a good reason for bringing him here.

"Jaune...I know you've been struggling in class, and you still aren't the strongest fighter," she said nervously, before grinning at her friend, "So I want to help you!"

"...what?"

Keeping up her smile, Pyrrha looked around, "We can come up here after class, and train! I'm sure team RWBIY won't mind."

Jaune just frowned, "You...think I need help?"

The tone in his voice made Pyrrha's smile falter. He sounded...depressed...at the idea. Why?

"No! No...that's not what I meant."

It really wasn't. She wanted to train _with_ him. She didn't want Jaune to feel self-conscious about it. They were friends, and she thought they could train together and improve both their skills. It was a win-win really. Not to mention it would mean spending time with Jaune alone...and the thought of that really appealed to her, for reasons she wasn't quite sure about. All Pyrrha knew, was that spending time working on their skills up here, under the stars, really sounded good to her. So why was Jaune looking like she had kicked him?

"But it's what you said," the blonde replied, his voice soft.

"Jaune...everyone needs a little push from time to time," Pyrrha tried, "even me. That doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it into Beacon...that alone says volumes about your skills!"

As she said that, Jaune turned away. Pyrrha frowned herself, at the way his shoulders tensed. She had gotten good at reading her friend's moods...and this was odd. He never looked this...vulnerable. Like something was weighing him down. Did Ichigo know something she didn't? It would explain the way Jaune was acting and why he had said to wait to say anything until he got Cardin away from them...

"I don't belong here," he finally said, voice low.

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you belong here."

Spinning around, Jaune looked angry for perhaps the first time she had ever seen, "No, I don't!"

Pyrrha took a step back, the hostility in Jaune's voice surprising her. It quickly faded to nervousness, but the fact it was there at all...

"I wasn't really accepted into Beacon..."

Blinking slowly, the redhead replied the only way she knew how, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't go to combat school. I didn't train. I...I..." Jaune struggled to find the words, "I lied. I got my hands on some false transcripts, and I lied."

_Jaune...you can't mean..._

"What? But...why?"

Sighing and running a hand through his scraggly hair, Jaune smiled weakly, "Because this is all I've ever wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him...they were all heroes! I always wanted to be one too. But I was...never good enough."

The hurt in Jaune's voice brought pain...unfamiliar pain...to Pyrrha's heart. She never wanted to hear him sound so...broken. She didn't care if he snuck into Beacon. It would have been hard for her _to_ care about something like that. If this was his dream, then she would just have to help him fulfill it. Jaune was far too important to her to let him fail something so important to _him_.

"Then let me help you!" Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder, only to flinch back when her friend pulled away.

"I don't _want_ help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress, I want to be the hero!" now there was hurt in his _eyes _and his voice.

"Jaune...I..."

Shaking his head, the other teen looked anywhere but Pyrrha's eyes, "I'm tired of being the loveable idiot stuck in a tree, while his friends fight for their lives! If I can't do this on my own...than what good am I?"

_You're good as you are!_ Pyrrha mentally shouted, _You're my best friend! I don't pity you or think you're any less because you don't know how to fight. I just want to help you improve Jaune. Please...just let me help you._

Reaching a hand out, the redhead flinched again as Jaune pulled away.

"Just...leave me alone, okay?"

Feeling like her heart had just been hit by a hammer, Pyrrha nodded weakly. If Jaune...

"If that's what you want."

Not quite able to keep the pain from her voice, the teenage girl spun around, and left her friend alone on the roof. She didn't know what she could do to change his mind...and it hurt more than she could have ever expected it to.

* * *

**AN: And there we go. We also have another little break from canon here...no Cardin blackmail material. Obviously, Forever Fall isn't going to be the same taking this into account. Let's see how that goes.  
**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Onto the reviews:**

**PersonaQeminod1, MEleeSmasher, AnimeA55Kicker, BANKAIZEN, Telron, The Digger92, Ranmaleopard, desdelor97, Matt, .796, Guest, gatesofhellkeeper, Zackmon, JJN37: **Thanks for the reviews!

**Kragh50:** While it was after your review, RT did confirm that V3 is coming. I had some nebulous plans for an original story past V2, but it's nice to know that isn't needed now.

**duskrider:** Right now, I don't have plans for them to develop spirits in the weapons. Aura is _similar_ in function to spiritual power, but not _quite_ the same. So melding the weapons isn't the same as attempting the same with Bleach-powers.

**Natzo:** As above, no plans right now for pseudo-Zanpakuto.

**kroz phantomville:** As this chapter said, Ichigo can kinda-sorta do Kido. Not well though. As for the bow...he doesn't have a pendant, so he can't form one.

**liberty86:** In this case, the different translations helps matters. We can have stuff that even Ichigo doesn't know, but is still Bleach related.

**hollowichigo12:** I hope the Cardin bit didn't disappoint.

**Gravenimage:** Well, Yang's already been shown. But yeah, I had fun with developing those powers.

**yiggdrasill:** Well, as we well know, Kisuke has his fingers in everything.

**Drake93:** Whoops, my bad. RWBY timeline will follow the canon one, as for the subarcs:

Generally speaking, the subarcs will be placed in areas where RWBY-proper had a time skip. This last one, for instance, was placed between the first day and Jaune's Arc. The next will be between the end of V1 and the start of V2.

**Krazyfanfiction1:** His Hollow powers are limited insofar as...well, actually I can't say without spoiling things. Suffice to say, he isn't going to be doing really outlandish things.

He does have the regeneration though.

**The10thDoctor1964:** Yeah, I expect Ichigo to go Bankai fairly soon. Though, granted, the last chapter...whoo boy.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews once again. I hope we can keep that momentum going!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and see you all next time.**


	10. Forever Fall

**AN: Next chapter is here. We get another perspective flip this time (Jaune, obviously in this case) too. Hope everyone likes it!  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

Some days, Ichigo Kurosaki wondered why he had signed up for this. He had come to Beacon to learn how to be a better Huntsman- and shinigami, but only he and his family knew _that_ part -and as such, had expected to be _learning_. Ichigo expected to be taught by the professors, and find out new things that his father didn't know. For all that his old man knew about shinigami by virtue of being a former Captain, he knew a _lot_ less about Grimm and how to hunt those soulless monsters. Understandably so, considering he spent all his time at the Clinic, keeping an eye on the younger members of the Kurosaki family. That didn't exactly leave a lot of time or room for going out and hunting the pseudo-Hollows. Hence, the reason Ichigo had to go to Beacon to learn how to do it himself, as there was nothing else he wanted to do with his life.

All that being said, he had not signed up for _teaching his team_. It was his own damn fault to be fair, as Zangetsu loved rubbing in his face. Didn't mean he had to be happy about it, of course. All of his team were fast learners- Ruby probably the fastest -and he _did_ like spending time with them. That being said, it still wasn't fun to spend his free time dodging questions from Yang while trying to teach the girls how to use their Aura like his used his reiryoku. Which was something it wasn't meant to do, on top of his dislike of teaching.

**"Stop complaining will ya?"** Zangetsu...complained... **"At least you get to spend time with hot chicks all the time."**

And _that_ was also annoying. His spirit played matchmaker...which was incredibly odd considering his Hollow nature.

**"I'm also your _instincts_ idiot."**

_"Shut up in there."_

**"You shut up! I just want you to get so..."**

_"Both of you need to focus. Yang is once more sending you a curious look."_

_"Damn."_

Turning his head, Ichigo couldn't deny his more level-headed side's point. Yang was indeed flashing him a curious look, one mimicked on Ruby's face. Weiss and Blake, by contrast, were both glowing as they practiced their Aura work. It was _always_ the sisters who noticed when he zoned out first. Ichigo tended to blame that on their natural curiosity more than anything else.

"I miss something?" the orangehead asked, as much to deflect attention as anything else.

Yang snorted, "You need to stop zoning out Ichigo."

"Yeah! You missed Blake do that!" Ruby added, excitedly pointing at a tree down below the cliff the group was practicing on.

A tree cut clean in two, with a small bit of burnt wood at the center of the cut. Blinking slowly, Ichigo looked at the dark-haired girl. Blake's eyes were shut, though she was panting slightly...as her Aura felt weak to the teenage 'teacher' observing her. Which wouldn't honestly surprise him all that much...Blake's 'special' power that she had discovered was the closest to his own he had seen.

And that included it using up her own power at a ridiculous rate. Ichigo had way more than enough energy...Blake didn't.

"Well...she improved her range," Ichigo deadpanned.

Ruby nodded, "Yup! I don't think it's easy for her to go all 'yahhh!' though."

The cuteness of Ruby trying to mimic his combat shouts aside, she had a point.

Shrugging slightly, the orangehead sighed, "It'll take awhile for her to get used to using her abilities. If it's anything like me anyway.

"Well, I coulda sworn Blake was channeling you when she pulled that flashy thing out," Yang added.

"Me or my father," Ichigo agreed, _which is odd, since Gambol Shroud is certainly not a Zanpakutō...so how does she do it?  
_

"Who I still want to meet."

An agreeing nod came from the younger sister, "I do too! You could meet our dad too. Not to mention Uncle Qrow said he wanted to meet you too!"

"Who?" Ichigo scowled, "And why...actually, how the hell does he even know about me?"

The younger girl giggled slightly, as she nervously tugged on her dress. Ichigo just raised an eyebrow, thoroughly curious now. And a bit worried to be fair...the last thing he wanted was _more_ people knowing about him. Naturally, he knew it was just a matter of time until the greater Kingdom knew of his abilities. But that didn't mean he had to want it to happen soon by any means. And, of course, the fact those two wanted to meet his father still freaked him out. Isshin Kurosaki would have a field day...

"I...kinda told him," Ruby smiled, "Uncle Qrow taught me everything I know. I wanted him to know that you're doing the same!"

_"It would make sense,"_ Zangetsu chimed in.

_"Maybe, but it kinda screws me over."_

His spirit didn't dispute the point. Sighing softly, Ichigo turned to Yang, "And why do you want to meet my dad so much?"

"You're always talking about him training you," she shrugged, "Plus I kinda want to see if he's anything like you."

A sweatdrop ran down Ichigo's face, "About that..."

Mercifully, for him, a frustrated sigh came from Weiss. The white-haired girl got to her feet, dusting herself off with an equally frustrated look adorning her pretty face. Sighing softly once more, the heiress turned to her teammates. Ichigo didn't have to really guess why she sounded frustrated either, not really. Something confirmed as she looked directly at him.

"I have _no_ idea what I'm doing wrong," Weiss complained, "I'm doing everything you had the others do."

As she said that, the girl pointed at Blake, who hadn't moved since she dropped to rest.

"But nothing works!"

The training with Weiss had been fun at one point in time. But the orangehead had learned- or perhaps, reiterated -that Weiss did _not_ like failing of falling behind in anything. And she had some form of block on discovering her 'super special power' as Ruby had termed it. Yang had her fire-fists, Blake had her pseudo-Getsuga...but Weiss...she couldn't seem to pull anything off. It was an open question of course why this was the case, but it frustrated the hell out of the heiress. And a frustrated Weiss was not a fun Weiss.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out!" Ruby moved to comfort her partner.

"You've said that for the last week," the Heiress complained, "And I still can't do what you all can."

"But you're the best at sensing Aura..."

Ichigo nodded, "Ruby has a point. Hell, you're better at it than _I_ am."

Weiss sniffed, "But I can't develop my Semblance beyond where it already was."

"You need to be proud of what you have," Blake finally spoke, getting to her feet- though sharp eyes from the resident male noted that she still shook slightly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Weiss turned on the girl who, in many ways, was her opposite.

A shrug answered her, "You have an ability none of us do. Your Glyphs are versatile, and with your sensory abilities, you can lay traps."

"I still want to learn what my ability is," the white-haired girl crossed her arms stubbornly.

_What is it with these girls and being as stubborn as _I_ am?_ Ichigo couldn't help but wonder, even as he said aloud, "You'll find it eventually. Chill out already, you're giving me a migraine."

"What?!"

Yang broke out laughing at that shout, holding her sides at the indignant look Weiss had sent Ichigo. Ruby looked to be holding back a giggle too, even as Blake smirked slightly. Ichigo couldn't hold back a chuckle of his own, as Weiss glared at her team...before a small smile crossed her own face. It hadn't been easy to do, but they had gotten the heiress to lighten up _just_ enough that she could laugh at herself on occasion. Such as when she let her 'ice queen' tendencies get the better of her. Or her temper, that was nearly as bad as Yang's in a way.

"Okay, that was funny," Yang wiped her eyes.

"Very funny," Weiss frowned, though the smile still tugged at her lips.

Ruby just clapped her hands, "That was funny! But it's getting kinda dark out here..."

Ichigo blinked, and looked around. And indeed, the sun _had_ gone down. Where did the time go when they were training?

**"Time flies when you're having fun with hot girls?"**

_"Will you _stop_ with that already?"_

Ignoring the sputtering from his uncooperative Zanpakutō, Ichigo turned to the rest of his team. They seemed just as surprised as he was, for what it was worth.

"I guess we have to go back to the room," Ruby continued, sounding distinctly put out by the idea.

"Come on sis," Yang punched her shoulder playfully, "I need my beauty sleep. Not easy looking like this y'know."

Snorting, Ichigo shook his head, "Oh, I'm sure you'll manage."

"You know you like it," Yang shot right back, grinning at the flush that came to Ichigo's face.

Weiss sighed, shaking her head as she walked past the others, "If you two are finished flirting, I would like to go to bed."

All Ichigo could do in reply was sputter, much as Zangetsu had been doing. Ignoring the laughter from his spirit, the orangehead settled for scowling at Weiss' back. He'd have to get her back for that one, one of these days...

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Once the team had made it back to their room, Ichigo found himself sighing softly as he laid back in his bed. It was nice to just lay down and relax for once, actually. Between his school work and training his team in techniques he had never thought them capable of using...it was exhausting, to put things mildly. He wasn't going to complain about it, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy just laying down for once, now did it? At least he was better off than a lot of others at Beacon, since he already came in with a unique skill set. That being said...he wouldn't be getting that much time to relax at the moment.

"Hey, I wonder if Jaune's back yet?" Ruby spoke up, already in her pajamas.

"He's been rather...off...lately," Blake added.

"I'm going to check!"

As the leader left the room, Ichigo just rolled over and sighed softly. He had an inkling of why Jaune was 'off' as Blake put it. Clearly, he had been shaken up by his duel with Cardin. If the orangehead had to guess, he would guess the blonde was throwing himself into training. Granted, that was what _he _would do, and it may be coloring his perception...

A perception that was suddenly filled with a sight that had him going redder than his namesake.

"YANG!" Ichigo shouted, covering his eyes as he stumbled out of bed, "Put some clothes on woman!"

"Come on," the blonde giggled, "you've seen me get dressed before! And it's not like I'm _naked_."

"That doesn't mean I want to see it again!"

Yang just continued to laugh at Ichigo's obvious discomfort, as she reached for her sleep shirt. The shinigami just grumbled, and left the room. Maybe the younger sister would be easier to deal with. Sometimes it seemed like Yang did stuff like this deliberately...

"Nope."

Speaking of Ruby, the younger girl was leaning against the wall, sitting next to a distinctly bedraggled Jaune. Both looked up at the red-faced shinigami, Jaune getting a confused look while Ruby smiled sympathetically. She knew _exactly_ why her friend was red-faced. After all, Ruby _had_ grown up with Yang and knew her sister's personality well. Better than anyone really.

"What are you two doing?" Ichigo asked, as much to distract them from his face as anything.

Ruby understood almost immediately. Say what you would about her childish personality, she was quite observant when she wanted to be.

"Convincing Jaune he isn't a failure," she replied, casting a look to her side, "Which he isn't! He's cool."

"Don't lie to my face," the blonde in question complained, before sighing, "And I am a failure. I couldn't even beat Cardin...and then I look at you guys! All of you are great fighters, and you're doing stuff I didn't think was possible. And here I am just...failing at everything."

"Nope," Ruby repeated.

Ichigo, for his part, elected to stay quiet for now. He wasn't as close to Jaune as Ruby was...and this was the perfect opportunity for his friend to flex her muscles, so to speak. If she could talk Jaune down, that would be a good thing anyway...and honestly, Ichigo fully expected that she was capable of that. Ruby _was_ his leader for a reason. A damn good one, in fact.

"You're a leader now Jaune, you can't afford to be a failure," the young teen continued.

Jaune didn't bother hiding his misery, "But what if I'm a failure at being a leader? I can't even keep up with my team."

"Nope," the girl repeated once more, "Jaune...maybe you were a failure as a kid. Maybe you were a failure when you got here, but you _can't_ be a failure now. You're a leader...we both are. What we do, reflects on our teammates. They rely on us to lead them, that's what Ichigo told me."

_No I didn't...then again, if she wants to use a little white lie..._

"And that's why we can't fail...we can't fail _them _Jaune!" Ruby swung her arms to accentuate her point, "Because they rely on us."

"But..."

Ruby waved a finger, "No buts mister! I think you can be a great leader. Your team _deserves_ a great leader, and I think that can be you Jaune."

Holding back a snort at the way Ruby was acting- he could see she was doing it to cheer her friend up -Ichigo nodded himself, "She has a point you know. You're great at leading, if that fight with the Deathstalker was anything to go off of. Sure, you aren't any good in a fight..."

_OW!_

Ignoring Ruby pinching his side, Ichigo plowed right on, "But that's not your fault. Just train with your team...I'm sure they'd help. I'd offer myself...but I'm busy enough with these four. I swear, I never get any rest..."

"But your training is fun!" Ruby protested.

"And I never get any rest from it," the orangehead repeated, "Anyway, talk to your team Jaune. Get some training if you can, and I'm sure you'll get better."

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, "Anyway though, good night for now Jaune. See you in the morning. Remember we have an awesome field trip tomorrow!"

With that said, the two members of RWBIY went back into their dorm. Ichigo cast one last look back, and saw a determined look flash across Jaune's face. Hopefully they had gotten through to him...because the last thing he wanted to see was a friend- even one not as close as his teammates -get hurt. Hopefully Jaune would work with his team...

* * *

**Jaune Arc**

* * *

Ichigo's wish aside, the next day found Jaune walking behind his team, a bit of a lost look on his face. The blonde had gone into his room determined to figure out how he was going to improve his skills. He did have that offer from Pyrrha to work with! But the moment Jaune had actually entered the room, his nerves came back in full force. The look Pyrrha had sent him hadn't helped a whole lot. He knew he wasn't around as much these days, since he had been practicing on his own so much. Jaune was determined to improve his skills on his own as much as possible, after all...he hadn't lied when he told Pyrrha that. But, Ichigo's words had shook him up...enough to think about asking for help. Only for the disappointed look his friend sent him to shoot that idea in the foot.

Hence the lost look currently adorning his face, as he walked a bit back from his team.

"Yes indeed students, the forest of Forever Fall is beautiful," Professor Goodwitch cut in, "but we are not here to sight see."

Lifting his head up slightly, Jaune noticed that Ruby and Yang were sending awed looks at the forest around them. It was very...red...at least.

_Like Pyrrha's hair...don't think that way Jaune..._

Sighing slightly, the blonde shook those thoughts from his head again. He didn't want to think about Pyrrha at the moment...or the way she still seemed angry with him. He had made a mistake...and he didn't know how to make up for it.

"Professor Peach has requested you retrieve samples from deep in the forest," Goodwitch continued on, not noticing one student's discomfort, "and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

Jaune gulped at that statement, doing his best to ignore the laughter from CRDL behind him. Goodwitch always seemed a bit grim, but that didn't make the blonde feel any better about the situation. The last thing he wanted was getting into a fight right now...not when he hadn't trained enough. Ruby's words still echoed in his head...

_"We can't fail _them_ Jaune..."_

Shaking his head slightly, the blonde sighed again. His nerves were getting the better of him again...

"Each of you are to gather one jar worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay close to your teammates. Have fun."

The way the Professor ended with 'have fun' didn't exactly do much to feel Jaune with motivation. Not to mention the way that both Pyrrha and Ichigo were sending him looks was a bit awkward. At least the latter only nodded once before moving to join his own team. Pyrrha though...she just waited for Jaune to catch up to her. Squaring his shoulders and letting out a breath, Jaune moved to his partner. He gave her a weak smile, nervously scratching his head.

For her part, Pyrrha just gave him a flat look, before turning her head. It wasn't about to be admitted out loud, but Jaune couldn't deny that hurt a bit. He knew she was angry with him...but he had hoped she wouldn't stay annoyed this long. It looked like that was the case though, and it did a lot to depress him really. There was only so much anyone could take of one of their friends being annoyed with them before they got depressed to be honest. This depressed tilt to his appearance didn't go unnoticed though. Before he could _really_ start slumping, Jaune felt a finger poke his side.

"Huh?" the teen blinked, noticing Pyrrha had turned back around. It was just the two of them too, the others already moving on.

"Jaune...I'm sorry," the redhead said.

"You're...sorry?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes. I know I've been ignoring you...I just thought you wanted your space. But...you've not liked that, have you?"

_She was...doing that for me?_

Blinking again, all Jaune could do was shake his head, "Not really. I mean, I thought you were angry with me!"

A small laugh answered that, as the redhead placed a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"No Jaune, I wasn't angry with you."

"Well that's a relief," Jaune smiled slightly.

His friend smiled back, before grabbing his arm, "Come on. Let's get back to the others."

It was a sign of just how much better a mood he was in, that Jaune didn't protest his friend dragging him along.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"This is easy," Ichigo deadpanned, as he was loaded up with his teams jars...maybe with a hint of sarcasm to his words.

"It may be for you," Ren countered, "but not for me."

"Heh," Nora giggled, her mouth covered in the sweet red sap...taken from Ren's jar.

"I think it's fun," Ruby pumped her fist, as her sister nodded in agreement, "We don't get to do field trips often!"

Watching the others interact, Jaune felt more at ease than he had in a long time. Maybe he had needed this more than he would readily admit. Being able to spend time with his friends, just talking and working together, was a nice change of pace. Gathering the sap didn't feel like something he wouldn't know how to do. There wasn't any risk of something worse than getting a bit of the sticky substance on his clothes here, unlike a spar at school where he'd probably lose badly. Well, actually, scratch that...there was a bigger risk than just getting a bit sticky.

"Achoo!"

...namely, the fact he seemed to be allergic to the sap. Jaune rubbed his nose, a pitying look on Pyrrha's face as she held both of their jars. The blonde had managed to get some of the sap on his face, and had been sneezing ever since. Not to mention he could have sworn there was some swelling. It wasn't a fun experience to be sure.

_I think I'm allergic to this stuff..._

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Jaune waved a hand, "I'm fine! I may be allergic to this stuff though..."

"That's unlucky," Ichigo winced in sympathy, even as he tried to juggle the four jars in his arms, "But at least you aren't having to carry all the jars. Seriously, why am _I_ playing pack mule?"

"Well, you _are_ the only guy on our team," Yang pointed out.

An eyebrow went up, "And that makes me the one who has to carry everything? Sexist."

"He has a point," Blake nodded in the background.

Yang sent her partner a wounded look, "Traitor."

All she got in reply was a shrug. For his part, Jaune just held back a laugh. The interactions of Team RWBIY were always entertaining, even to those outside said team. This was just one of those times, and it would have been impossible to not laugh at least a _little_ at the way the other teens acted. Ichigo was always deadpan, competing with Ren for the trophy in that regard. Ruby and Yang were always joking around with him too, with Weiss or Blake jumping in on either side.

No fun lasts forever however. As Jaune was holding back his laughter, Ichigo's head snapped up, as he flashed to the side in that odd movement thing he could do. Blinking at the sight, Jaune felt his eyes widen as a jar of sap landed on the ground where he had been standing. Considering that, when he reappeared, Ichigo was still holding all four of the ones in his arms...it wasn't from him. Someone had _thrown_ that at the orangehead. And Jaune didn't have to be a genius to know _who_ that someone probably was. After all, only one person would have reason to throw something at Ichigo.

_Cardin? But why would he do that...wait, what's that? Please tell me I'm not hearing what I think I'm hearing..._

Turning around slowly with a feeling of dread, Jaune saw a swarm of very familiar insects approaching. Familiar from Port's last exam to be more specific...and it made the blonde feel like running for his life. A swarm of Rapier Wasps was the _last_ thing he wanted to see zooming towards him.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo shouted, dropping his jars.

"Yang, Ichigo!" Ruby broke in, Crescent Rose already in her hands, "Handle the wasps! Blake, you and Weiss find Professor Goodwitch!"

Realizing that this was his friend pulling out her 'leadership' skills, Jaune turned to his own team, "Nora! You and Ren go with them!"

The four teens in question nodded, and ran off. Jaune drew Crocea Mors and squared his shoulders. Beside him, Pyrrha had her own weapon drawn. Yang and Ichigo were standing back to back, their own weapons glinting in the sunlight. Ruby had Crescent Rose spinning and ready to cut wasps into pieces. That being said, even Jaune had to wonder why Ruby had started by sending members of her team off- even if he had done the same -as the wasps were not the most dangerous thing in the world, though the stingers _hurt_. Killing them shouldn't be that hard...even for _him_.

It was then that he remembered they were in a forest 'full of Grimm'. The sounds of killing the wasps...the sound of cracking glass from the jar, and the laughter that was easily identifiable as Cardin and his team...all of that could draw Grimm. Made sense that Ruby would want the Professor back.

_Why did she send off her own partner with Blake though?_

"Here they come!" Pyrrha broke in, her weapon in its rifle form as she fired at the incoming insects.

"I've never seen a bug this big before," Ichigo added nonchalantly, as he almost casually sliced his sword so fast that Jaune couldn't even _follow_ it.

Yang had a frown on her face as her fists _caught on fire_, "Eww...remind me to clean my gauntlets later. This is just nasty."

"At least you can burn them sis!" Ruby sounded quite disgusted as bug innards flew around her blade, "That's why you're here!"

_Oh! That's why she's here!_

Ducking under a stinger aimed at his head, Jaune suddenly felt a bit happy that the others were around. Individually, even _he_ could handle Rapier Wasps. A swarm that never seemed to end like this one though...he didn't want to _think_ about that. Luckily for him though, said swarm seemed far more focused on the three behind him, than on either the blonde or Pyrrha. Probably because Ichigo and Yang had managed to slaughter dozens of the bugs between the two of them- and Ruby wasn't far behind either.

_Un_luckily for him though...

"Was that what I think it was?"

"I..." Pyrrha tried answering, before a screaming Cardin Winchester flew over the group of teenager's heads. Behind him, the rest of CRDL sprinted down a slope, clearly terrified of something. That something being the source of the roar that had lead Jaune to ask his question.

A roar that revealed an Ursa stomping down the hill. And if that wasn't bad enough, the sight of _this_ Ursa made Jaune's blood run cold. It would have been one thing if the Ursa had been like the one Nora had ridden during initiation. That one had been fairly average, if Port's class was any indication. _This_ Ursa...

_Oh no..._

"That's a big Ursa," Ichigo deadpanned, as he continued to cut the wasps.

It was most certainly not average. The head and shoulder armor were the same as the smaller variety of bear-Grimm. But the back...was coated in evil looking spikes. And the size...it was easily twice as big as Nora's Ursa had been. Needless to say, Jaune felt his arms shake at the sight. Especially as the wasps continued to keep the members of RWBIY busy. Only Pyrrha could help him...and she was just as busy as the others shooting down the wasps that were now angling for the downed Cardin.

"I guess it's me huh?" Jaune whispered weakly, before squaring his shoulders. He couldn't back down. He knew he wasn't the best fighter...but if he backed down now, he'd never forgive himself.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha clearly wasn't happy about that however...even as the blonde charged forward.

"Yaaah!"

Charging at the Ursa, Jaune briefly wondered if he had lost his mind trying this. Said thoughts were pushed from his head, as the massive bear brought a paw down on his face. If he hadn't raised his shield at the last moment...even so, the blow nearly buckled his knees. Gritting his teeth, Jaune pushed up with all his strength. The Ursa backed up at that, allowing Jaune to roll away, raising his sword as he did so. The Ursa growled in anger, as it stomped in his direction. Taking a deep breath, Jaune ran to meet the bear halfway. His sword came down, cutting into its thick hide.

The Grimm reared back in pain, blood flowing from the cut on its chest. If anything, the pain merely angered it further however. Roaring at Jaune, the Ursa swept its paw out once more. The blonde leaped over the blow, surprise mixing with his determined look. A determination that allowed him to narrowly catch the follow up blow on his shield. It still pushed him back, but the young man wasn't sent flying...and that was the important thing...his training had clearly paid off. If he could take that blow, he could win this fight. He had his shield to keep his Aura intact. He had a sword that could cut the thick Ursa-hide...he could do this.

"You can do this Jaune..." he muttered, his voice gradually gaining strength, "I can do this!"

A disagreeing roar came from the Ursa, as the bear lunged forward, jaws ready to bite into Jaune's outstretched arm. Eyes widening momentarily, Jaune tried to move his shield around to catch the blow...and just when it looked like he wouldn't manage, the gleaming white barrier took the Ursa's blow, stunning the creature as it bounced its head off the antique shield. And stunning the blonde just as much, as he couldn't believe he moved that fast. The bear recovered quickly enough, rearing back and attempting to squash Jaune under its expansive paw once more.

But determination had filled the blonde teen now. He caught the blow on his shield, rolling with the blow. It was almost entirely instinct now, but it didn't matter if it was instinct or training. What did matter, was that Jaune used the momentum to come up with his sword swinging. Crocea Mors gleamed in the sunlight, red petals falling around it from the trees...as equally red blood came from the Ursa's neck. Jaune's antique sword proved just as useful as Zangetsu or Crescent Rose, as the sharp blade cut into the Ursa's neck. The old weapon faced little resistance, as it cleaved clean through the tough hide and spine of the Grimm.

Head and body fell in different directions, as Jaune stumbled from the lack of resistance. A shocked look came over his face, as he looked down at the dissolving body of the Grimm...as clapping came from behind him.

"Nice. Knew you had it in you," Ichigo's voice spoke up.

Turning around, Jaune blinked at the devastated corpses of the Rapier Wasps. There wasn't a single living one left, as the others were sending him impressed looks. Ruby was practically bouncing actually, as she excitedly mimicked his moves while chattering with Yang. Ichigo had a rare smile on his face, nodding in respect at the blonde's achievement.

But...but, the most important look to Jaune was the look of unmitigated _pride_ on Pyrrha's face.

"I knew you could fight Jaune," the redhead said, grin on her face, "you always could."

"No I couldn't..." Jaune scratched his head, but he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, as the others turned away and left him with Pyrrha- conveniently making him miss the nod Ichigo sent at his partners, satisfied with his choice to let Jaune fight the Ursa on his own, a choice mimicked by Pyrrha.

A shake of the head came from the redhead, "You could Jaune! You have the skill...even if you didn't know you did..."

It didn't take a genius to know why the girl's voice trailed off. A genius he was not, but Jaune knew that much...he knew that Pyrrha probably felt guilty for not helping him train or fight- though he _was_ off in the latter case.

"Pyrrha...I..." taking a breath, Jaune forced his guilt down, "I was an idiot. I barely beat that Ursa, and that was after I trained so hard on my own. Are you...are you still willing to help me? Help me become a better fighter?"

The smile never once left Pyrrha's face, as she nodded, "Yes Jaune...yes, I can still help you."

Both teens smiled at the other, as they moved to join the others.

* * *

**AN: I took a bit of artistic license with the Rapier Wasps. It's safe to assume they are _not_ that big, though probably bigger than average Earth-wasps. That being said, it was for the sake of the scene so there is that. Suffice to say, they weren't _that_ much of a threat...it was more a conscious choice to let Jaune handle the Ursa, than any problem with the wasps keeping Ichigo or Ruby or whoever away from it. I kept the Ursa mostly because it's _very_ key to Jaune's development as a character...though, clearly, things were different this time due in large part to his training instead of being Cardin's whipping boy.  
**

**Since I'm sure Blake will get questions: she's using that attack she used on Torchwick in _No Brakes_. Presumably that was Weiss' Dust cartridges in that case...but here, it's her unique ability thanks to the training. It's also confusing the hell out of Ichigo.**

**Hope that makes sense! I also hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Next couple will be equivalent to the last two episodes of V1, after which we move to the next subarc to bridge V1 and V2. For now though...on to the reviews:**

**desdelor97, Kragh50, Telron, Zackmon, liberty86, Guest, Mazamba, Seigogerman, Ranmaleopard, JJN37, correnhimself316, MEleeSmasher, The Digger92: **Thanks for the reviews!

**The10thDoctor1964:** Oh certainly. Cardin is lucky Ichigo has a firm hold on ole' Zangetsu really.

**hollowichigo12:** Yeah, Cardin not being able to blackmail Jaune has some importance here...certainly because _Ichigo_ is the source of his ire now.

**Krazyfanfiction1:** The speed of the regen depends on how much power Ichigo is willing to use. Could be instant, could take minutes or hours.

**CrystalCipher:** I can say Ichigo is normally holding back in his fights, mostly to avoid questions. As in previous ANs though...his full power level is a secret for quite a bit longer.

**PersonaQeminod1:** The lack of Hollows makes that impossible. While it is possible people still go to Hell in Remnant, there aren't any Hollows, and as such, no reason for Ichigo to be near it.

**yiggdrasill:** I always assumed it was typical teenage behavior...avoid the bully where possible, since it 'isn't my problem'. The 'focus' teams don't seem the type to do that, but it _is_ possible. Eh, good thing Ichi's around in this case.

**Gravenimage:** Honestly, I think people should have figured it out by now, me saying anything or not...I've been dropping hints since the start.

**Grinja:** This is true, those two do get a lot of time together.

**xbox432:** Glad you liked the CRDL bit. Field Trip didn't change _that_ much, but I think what did change was important.

**spartan-140:** That reply was actually referencing Bleach itself, not this story.

**Hollow Saigo no Getsuga Tensho:** Can't answer that one, sorry.

**Assault Godzilla:** Oh yeah, Cardin is going to be a pain in Ichigo's side for the foreseeable future. Ichigo's got plenty to teach really, and I'm trying to make it natural...they won't learn everything quickly.

**AN: There we go. I can't believe we're almost at 250 for so few chapters...I hope everyone keeps reviewing! It's always nice to see this much interest in a story.**


	11. The Stray

**AN: Next chapter right on time. Not a whole lot changes here admittedly, but the second half does have some more Ichigo/Blake- no, not romantic sense -interaction though, to balance things out. Hope everyone enjoys it!  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

_Don't remember the last time I saw Vale this busy..._

_"The Vytal Festival is quite important Ichigo. We have merely never been in this portion of town during it,"_ Zangetsu pointed out.

He had a point in that respect. Ichigo had never really felt the _need_ to be around during the Vytal Festival. He understood the reasoning behind it, and why it was so important in his new home. That being said, he didn't like really loud and large crowds, something that the Festival had in _spades_. That whole 'loner' thing the orangehead had going on wasn't a joke in the slightest. At least, leaving aside his team who he was good friends with. It was only _because_ of that friendship that he was in Vale in the first place in fact. If he weren't such good friends with his team, Ichigo would have far preferred staying at Beacon and taking a break from all the training.

Though, then again, if the dirty looks Yang was sending a certain white-haired Heiress were any indication, he wasn't the only one who wanted to be back at the school.

**"Why you let her convince you to come here in the first place is beyond me Kingy."**

_"Yeah, trust me, I know."  
_

Weiss was unusually oblivious to the obvious dislike coming from the blonde and shinigami though. Normally she was more observant than that.

"Oh the Vytal Festival! This is wonderful!" Weiss grinned. _Grinned_.

Ruby picked up on the weirdness of that action quickly enough, "I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss. It's kinda weirding me out..."

"You aren't the only one," Ichigo muttered, getting a giggle from the leader.

Regardless of the context of the giggle, Weiss seemed to not care, "How could you _not_ smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world?"

**"Kingy...please...stop her..."**

Ichigo was inclined to agree with his spirit at this point. He really _didn't_ care about the Festival as much as Weiss seemed to. Not that _his_ opinion was going to make her stop any time soon.

"There will be dances, parades...a tournament!" the heiress continued right on, "Oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this is simply breathtaking!"

It was Yang's turn to scoff at that statement. She rolled her eyes at Ichigo, before looking at the oblivious heiress.

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it boring," the blonde complained.

"Quiet you," Weiss shot back.

Yang just sighed, "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon at the stupid docks?"

In that, Ichigo was inclined to agree with his friend. Bad enough that he was stuck in Vale during the build up to the Festival. But having to go to docks was seemingly pointless. It wasn't like anything big was happening there, and it just made the trip seem like an even _bigger_ waste of time to him. Only Weiss seemed interested in the docks too. Not even Blake showed any interest, and she normally had at least somewhat similar interests to the heiress. Which raised the question of just _why_ Weiss was so interested in them. At least Vale had the excuse of the Festival.

"Ugh, they smell like fish..."

And Ruby wasn't the only one who plugged their nose either. Ichigo was as much a fan of fish meals as anyone, but not the smell of rotting fish. He was honestly surprised that Weiss wasn't showing any reaction to it. Considering her background and personality.

"I've heard that students from Vacuo will be arriving at the docks today," she answered the question in her team's minds, "and as a representative of Beacon, I consider it my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

Ichigo blinked, and leaned over to Yang, "Isn't she from Atlas?"

"Yup," the blonde replied, a grin taking over her face.

"I heard that!" Weiss glared at the unrepentant teens, "I may be from Atlas, but I am still a student of Beacon."

Blake's face held a smirk as she shook her head slightly, "Who only wants to be here to spy on them to have the upper hand in the tournament."

"You can't prove that!"

The resident shinigami just shook his head. And inside his...head...Zangetsu- both of them -did the exact same. The darker portion of the blade even outright laughed, as he held his sides.

**"I woulda thought she already has an edge, eh Kingy?"** the Hollow chuckled.

_"One would think..."_

Out loud, Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the heiress, "You know, you already have an advantage with what I've taught you, right?"

"Yes but..."

Before Weiss could counter that statement, Ruby diverted her team's attention.

"Whoa..."

Following where the leader was looking, Ichigo's eyebrow went even higher. He couldn't tell what type of shop it was from where he was standing, but it was clear that _some_ sort of shop had been robbed. Not just robbed even...more like ransacked. A window was smashed out, and his sharp eyes could pick out that the inside was torn apart. Not to mention all the police tape around it. Clearly, something major had happened there. And it just _had_ to be where they were. Which got a small sigh out of him, especially as it was _Ruby_ who had noticed. Because it was only a matter of time until...

...the others decided they wanted to find out what had happened. Ichigo sighed again as his team moved directly for the shop. It wasn't their problem, not by a long shot. Students weren't expected to solve a criminal case, that was the job of the police. Who clearly were investigating it anyway. That hardly stopped the rest of his team though.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked, once the little group reached the police tape.

A bearded officer looked up, not showing any surprise at the group of heavily armed teenagers, "Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week."

Walking away from the teens after that, Ichigo only barely heard the man add a second comment.

"This place is turning into a jungle..."

_"This would mark at least three robberies of Dust shops, counting the one Ruby spoke of," _ Zangetsu chimed in, _"This is clearly an organized crime ring. No other group would attack just Dust shops in this manner."_

_"You thinking what I'm thinking?"  
_

**"If you're thinking girly man, yeah."**

Holding back a snort at Zangetsu's description, Ichigo inwardly nodded, _"Torchwick, yeah."_

That theory was reinforced with what the other officer said.

"They didn't take the money again."

"I don't get it, who needs that much Dust?" the first officer mused.

His partner shrugged, "I dunno, an army?"

"You thinkin...the White Fang?"

It was possible the others didn't notice. But when the officer mentioned the White Fang, both Ichigo and Weiss turned to look at Blake. The former because he was experienced enough to pick up on little fluctuations in Aura, the latter because she was almost _scarily_ good at sensory abilities. And right now, Blake let her Aura flash in a momentary bit of anger at the suggestion it was the White Fang. _Why_ she did so was anyone's guess though...she couldn't possibly be connected to those idiots.

"I'm thinkin we don't get paid enough," the second officer finished, before both of them wandered off.

As they wandered off, Weiss scoffed. All attention- including Ichigo, who had been giving Blake a curious look -turned once more to the Heiress, "The White Fang...what a bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" Blake shot back, hostility clear in her voice

Weiss blinked, clearly not understanding the hostility, "My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang are hardly a bunch of pyschopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus," the dark-haired girl countered.

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity from the face of the planet!"

"Well then they're very misguided!" Blake's temper was clearly flaring now, "either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

For their parts, the remaining members of the team just looked amongst each other with confused looks. The hostility coming from Blake at any insult to the White Fang was...more than a little odd, to put things mildly. Weiss could be wording things better, but to Ichigo at least, she wasn't _wrong_. The White Fang was far from a group of good guys. At least, not at the moment. There was a reason that humans were terrified of them, and it wasn't because the terrorists were bringing flowers to protests.

Ruby was the one who finally broke the silence though, "Blake has a point...besides, they never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him?"

"I'd say it probably was him," Ichigo chimed in, "only Dust and not the money? Who else would do exactly what he was doing?"

"Yeah!"

Weiss just scoffed again, "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"What the hell is your problem?" the orangehead's scowl deepened.

"My problem?" Weiss parroted her own words from earlier.

"Yeah, you're acting like they're animals."

What was left unsaid, was that Weiss was acting like Cardin. The Heiress started to sputter angrily, only for a shout to distract the entire team. And make Ichigo strong tempted to facepalm.

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

**"Not helping their case Kingy,"** Zangetsu chimed in, as RWBIY ran towards the dock once more.

_"Tell me about it."_

As the group of teens reached the dock, they saw a blonde teen with...a monkey tail...jump off the boat. And promptly use said tail to hang from a lamppost. If the situation were any less serious- what with the way this was _not_ helping the case in convincing Weiss Faunus weren't bad -Ichigo would be tempted to snort. The very monkey-esque action, right down to peeling a banana, was amusing to say the least.

"Hey, a no-good stowaway would have been caught!" the Faunus shouted, bringing Ichigo back to him, "I'm a great stowaway!"

"Hey, get down from there this instant!" the bearded officer shouted.

For his part, Ichigo blinked, somewhat surprised the officers had gotten down there so quickly. Police were not trained at an academy like he was, so that was actually...somewhat impressive. It would have been rather more impressive, if the Faunus hadn't just replied by throwing his banana peel into the officers face. The teen didn't bother holding back a snort this time, as Ruby giggled next to him. It _was_ amusing. Even Zangetsu was laughing at the move, as it was so...funny to see. Not many would do something like that to an officer of the law.

**"I think I like him King."**

Nodding in agreement, Ichigo watched as the Faunus blitzed past the cops and ran right up the stairs. Not to mention right past his team...not even stopping once. Though he did turn his head and wink at Blake, who looked stunned by that.

**"Maybe he likes them darker?"**

Ignoring his Hollow-side in favor of his team, Ichigo held back a smile at the deadpan look Yang wore as she watched the Faunus run away.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition? There he goes."

Weiss was shaken from her own stupor by that, "Quick! We have to observe him!"

And promptly ran off after the fleeing stowaway. The sisters were quick to follow, but Blake still seemed rooted to the spot. Ichigo just sighed slightly, well-used to the impulsiveness of his teammates by now. Though, granted, it was highly unusual for it to be _Weiss_ doing it.

"You okay?" he asked the one teammate still with him.

Blake shook her head, "Yeah. Let's go after them."

It was increasingly clear that the dark-haired girl was _not_ okay. Ichigo wasn't sure still what was wrong with her today, but something about that other teen had shaken his friend up. Nothing for it though, because right now, they had to find the rest of the team. As such, both of them took off after the others, quickly catching up as they rounded a corner...

...only to see Weiss run head first into another girl.

_Nice one there ice queen..._

Shaking his head slightly, Ichigo followed the other girls as Weiss groaned about the Faunus getting away. That was the least of the problems at the moment though. While it was possible miss sensory abilities was too distracted, Ichigo was not. And the girl she had landed on had his attention, his _full_ attention. There was something distinctly off about the redhead, and it had him feeling uncomfortable. Grimm didn't even make him feel discomfort in this way, but something about the girl Weiss still hadn't noticed did. In Ruby's words...it was 'weirding him out'. Because as the girl just lay where she had fallen, the feeling he was getting from her was almost skin-crawlingly unnatural.

Even Zangetsu was shuddering slightly, inside the teenager's soul. It wasn't that the girl felt _dark_ like the Grimm, or even like a Hollow. But she felt distinctly...off. Like something was wrong with her Aura, which by extension, meant something wrong with her soul. It felt unnatural, in a way. Almost like the Aura wasn't hers. The best way he could describe it, would be the feeling of a Zanpakutō that was apart from its wielder. He had seen his old man materialize Engetsu once, and the feeling had been...different.

Thing was, even that didn't fit this girl. It was maddening.

_"I am as curious as you Ichigo, however, we should focus on who she is first and foremost," _the Quincy portion of Zangetsu spoke up.

Yang seemed to agree, though it was possible she hadn't noticed what Ichigo had.

"Umm...Weiss," the blonde pointed at the girl on the ground.

"Ahh!" Weiss jumped back, when she realized she had run into someone...who was now grinning at her.

"Salutations!" the strange girl said, grin never leaving her face.

"Uh...are you...okay?" Yang asked, sounding just as weirded out as Ichigo felt.

The girl on the ground just nodded, "I'm wonderful, thank you for asking!"

_All_ of team RWBIY shared a look at that. At least it wasn't only him feeling odd now...

"You want to get up?" Ichigo asked, not _quite_ able to keep his discomfort from his voice.

Luckily for him, this girl seemed oblivious to it, as she looked thoughtful before replying, "Yes!"

And promptly jumping to her feet, in a way that most Huntresses wouldn't have pulled off. This situation was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. What was it about his team that attracted strange things? Sometimes Ichigo seriously wondered about that...

"Hello, my name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Once more, the team looked amongst themselves. How to react to that...

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby," the leader dove right in as usual.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

Ichigo looked at the girl, before sighing slightly, "Ichigo."

"You sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked, getting a snort from the orangehead before Blake slapped her arm, "Oh, I'm Yang."

Penny just continued to grin, "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You already said that..." Weiss replied.

"So I did!" and the grin never once faltered. Even _Zangetsu _didn't have a grin like that.

"Well, I'm sorry for running into you," the heiress continued, turning away. The rest of the team followed, as Ruby waved back at the strange girl.

"Take care friend."

It would be a lie if Ichigo said he wasn't happy to be moving away from the girl. He was getting more and more uncomfortable the longer he was around her. It was mean to think that way to be fair, especially since she seemed friendly enough. But he just _couldn't shake the feeling_ that something was seriously wrong with Penny. He couldn't put his finger on it, but that hardly mattered when it came to his comfort. Best to just forget about her since, like the Dust robbery, it wasn't _his_ problem. Someone would sort it out, hopefully.

"She was...weird," Yang commented, once the rounded the corner.

Ichigo just nodded, "Very weird. Her Aura felt off."

"It di..." Weiss began to ask, before she noticed something that had her sputtering and spinning around.

Namely, speak of the devil, and she shall appear in front of you.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked.

Yang blinked, and frowned, "Um...I'm sorry about that..."

"No, not you," the strange girl countered, moving to stare down on Ruby, "You."

For her part, all the leader could do was blink and lean back, her face showing shock and maybe a bit of fear, "Umm...I'm sorry...uhh...what did I call you?"

"You called me friend...am I really your friend?"

Ruby clearly didn't know how to react, as she looked over Penny's shoulder, "Umm..."

The other girls on the team were all crossing their arms and shaking their heads frantically. Blake even took it a step further and was waving her arms around to get the point across. For his part, Ichigo just sighed and facepalmed. He knew Ruby well enough by now...to know exactly what she was going to say to that question. Hence the facepalm, since he didn't really want strange girl hanging around. Nothing against Penny, but the way her Aura was just rubbed him wrong, to say the least.

"Sure," Ruby finally said...managing a snort out of Ichigo as the others all fell over on their backs in shock.

Penny, on the other hand, looked like her birthday had come early, "Sensational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

As the others picked themselves off the ground, Ichigo tuned out the rest of the talk, in favor of turning to Yang. Blake was out of sorts, and Weiss and Ruby were busy with the strange girl. That left talking _about_ the strange girl to the blonde.

"Hey Yang," he sidled up next to her.

"Huh?" the girl replied, dusting herself off.

"You notice her Aura?"

Yang frowned, "Sorta. I mean, I'm not at good at that as you and Weiss are."

"Doesn't take being good to notice this."

And it really didn't either. Yang focused herself on the strange girl, and blinked her lilac eyes rapidly.

"Damn," she whistled, "That is strange. Any ideas Mr. Expert?"

"None," Ichigo sighed in response, "I've never felt anything like it. Damn it..."

"Well, that's a prob..."

Before the blonde could finish her complaint, a rather more pertinent issue came up. Namely...

"You arrogant brat!"

Blake stomping off, leaving the others in a stunned silence. Ichigo and Yang shared a look, both having missed whatever set the girl off. Weiss on the other hand, seemed to know what had happened. And been the target of that shout, considering both the context and the way she acted.

"How dare you! I'm your teammate!" the heiress stomped after the other girl.

"What you are is a judgmental little girl!"

As the two launched into quite the argument, Ichigo and Yang moved next to Ruby. Who looked totally out of her depth, seeing the first real fight among her teammates.

"Well...something got them angry," Ichigo deadpanned.

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

* * *

Ichigo's statement turned out to be quite accurate. At least in the case of Blake, who had been on the verge of a meltdown ever since the team had found that shop. Well, more accurately, she had been having a meltdown ever since Weiss had started insulting the White Fang at said shop. There wouldn't have been any problem beyond minor frustration at missing out on reading time, were it not for that actually. The shop was a nice mystery, but not one that Blake could really care about, if it weren't for Ruby bringing it up. Ichigo had seemed to be the same way if his eye rolls were any indication.

But then that...that..._spoiled little brat_ had to insult the White Fang and Faunus in general. That officer suggesting they would raid a Dust shop like that was one thing. But the way that Weiss had _latched onto that_ and refused to let go drove Blake mad. Even after both Ichigo _and_ Ruby had pointed out it was far more likely to be Torchwick who had done the robbery. That had only served to deflect Weiss onto a more general rant. One she had not given up on since it started.

One that continued to this very second.

"I don't understand _why_ this is causing such a problem!"

"That _is_ the problem!" and Blake couldn't understand why Weiss couldn't see that.

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity right?" the heiress countered, not realizing saying that didn't mean _quite_ the same to Blake as the rest of their team, "the Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"

And _that _did it.

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake jumped to her feet, fists clenched at her side, "why do you think the White Fang hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin...people like you, who force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

Weiss scoffed, "People like _me_?"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!"

After Weiss shouted that, the argument ground to a halt. Even Blake felt her temper momentarily flicker out, if in pure shock if nothing else. Why would Weiss consider herself a victim of the White Fang? She had never mentioned something like that before...then again, with her logical side coming back up if only momentarily, Blake could reflect she wasn't the best in telling her team things either...

"Do you want to know _why_ I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?"

As she said that, the Heiress moved to the window. She was clearly warring with herself, over if she should say what was on her chest or not. Blake could understand that...even as she wondered what Weiss was actually talking about.

"It's because my family has been at war with them for years...war, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted on its back for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear. Board members, executed. An entire train car full of Dust...stolen."

That last one hit Blake like, well, a speeding train. The girl could well remember the train...the train where she had finally cut ties to her old life. Where she had left behind the mentor who had been almost like an older brother to her. She could still remember his hand reaching out to her as she left him behind on the Dust train. Blake could still remember the damage the two had done to said train...and how it had almost ended in senseless loss of life. Things like that were her greatest shame...and it was not comfortable having that tossed into her face like this.

Not to mention, Weiss seemed to not be finished, as she shrugged off Ruby's attempt to comfort her.

"Every day, my father would come home furious," at that, the heiress clenched her fist angrily, "and that made for a very difficult childhood."

Spinning past Ruby, Weiss turned to the dark-haired girl in the room. Her eyes flashed with anger, as she looked up at the taller teen.

"That is why I despise the White Fang!" she shouted, "Because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

Sympathy for Weiss' situation or not, Blake felt her temper flaring back up.

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

Even as she yelled that, Blake realized she had made a mistake. Ruby and Yang had their mouths drop open, even as Weiss backed up with a shocked expression on her face. Only Ichigo didn't show shock, he merely sighed and shook his head. Their reactions aside, Blake began to quickly freak out. She hadn't wanted to say that...she _shouldn't _have said that. Fear quickly rising to the fore, the girl shook her head swiftly.

"I...I..."

And bolted from the room. She vaguely heard Ruby yell after her, but that was not going to be enough to stop her.

_I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that..._

Blake didn't slow down in the slightest until she reached the exit of the dorm. And she only did _that_, because she saw a familiar head of orange hair blocking her path.

"How did..." she asked, panting slightly.

Ichigo just shrugged, "You know only Ruby can keep up with me if I really want to be somewhere. So, what was that back there?"

The dark-haired girl was immediately on the defensive again, "Nothing, nothing at all."

"Then what's with the running?" the orangehead deadpanned.

"I..."

"Look, I won't say anything to the others if you don't want me to," Ichigo continued, "but with how much you four have wormed out of _me_ lately, I want to know if this is something important."

"Are you...serious?"

A nod answered that question, "Of course I am. That, and I don't care if you were in the White Fang. Which is what this looks like, by the way. No other reason you would be that angry at the princess."

He wasn't wrong. Blake hated to admit it, but her...friend...wasn't wrong with his assumptions. That was in her past though, a past she had been running from for so long now. She didn't want to have to face it again, least of all with people she was actually comfortable with.

But, Ichigo Kurosaki was not one to take no for an answer, was he?

"...yes, I was."

At that, Blake reached up to the bow on her head...and slowly undid it. As her hands came away with the piece of fabric, it revealed a pair of...cat ears. Small, purple fur covered cat ears, sticking right up off her head. She had expected her nature as a Faunus to get shock from Ichigo. The other teen had never shown any indication he knew she wasn't human. Not from the moment she had met him, had she ever seen him treat her as anything but a human. Granted...

"Huh."

...he was one of the rare ones who really didn't _care_ if you were a Faunus or human.

"That's all?" Blake asked, a bit of dry humor returning to her despite the situation.

Ichigo shrugged, "Yeah. I mean, I didn't know you were a Faunus but it kinda makes sense now. Especially the bow. Don't see why you kept this a secret though, considering you know that we don't have problems with Faunus."

All he got in reply to _that_ was a glare.

"Okay," the teen stepped back, "other than Weiss, we don't care. Seriously though, it isn't a big problem."

Blake just sighed, "It may not be for you. It may not be for even Ruby or Yang. But you are _not_ everyone. You've seen Cardin...and even Weiss. The Faunus are not equal, even now. I want people to see me and my achievements for _who _I am...what they are. Not what I am."

Looking out at the night sky, Blake clenched the ribbon in her hand.

"On top of that, I am a criminal. I may have left the White Fang, but I can never really leave that behind...so I hide in plain sight, with just the aid of this bow."

It was Ichigo's turn to sigh at that, "Okay, that at least makes sense. Still though...you can't hide that from the others now."

"I know that," Blake replied, "but..."

"You aren't ready?"

It seemed to happen quite often, but every time Ichigo did something like this, Blake was forced to reevaluate the other teen. He really was more insightful than his appearance or actions would lend one to believe. And it occasionally showed through...because he was totally right.

_I don't want to talk to them about this...not yet._

"No, not yet," the Faunus replied, "I...don't know what I would say. Especially to Weiss."

"She can find you easily enough y'know."

And that was a problem. Weiss was so good at sensing Aura, that it was almost impossible to hide from her if she wanted to find you. And right now, the last person Blake wanted to talk to was the heiress. How was she going to get time alone to put her raging emotions in order? She wouldn't get that time if Weiss tracked her down within a couple hours. And that was something the heiress was fully capable of doing, once she put her mind to it. So how was she going to avoid the others?

Of course, by now, Blake should have expected Ichigo to have something new to teach her. Because, with a sigh, he turned to look at his friend more fully. It looked like he didn't _want_ to tell her whatever it was though.

"Okay, listen up," the orangehead said, "activate your Aura."

Blake sent him an incredulous look, "That will just..."

"Just listen damn it," Ichigo shot back, "once you've got the Aura active, focus on it. Once you've got a hold of the thing, do the exact opposite of pushing it into an attack...pull it _in_. Watch me."

As he said that, frustration clear in his voice, the teenager began glowing blue once more. But as Blake watched with both her eyes and her new sensory abilities- albeit ones nowhere near as good as Weiss -she felt Ichigo's raging power slowly fade into...nothing. Okay, that was wrong. There was a small flash of his torrent of power once in a while, but overall...if she were relying on just sensing him, she wouldn't know he was there.

"How..."

Ichigo just shrugged, and sighed again, "Something the old man taught me. If you want to be stealthy, you can pull your Aura in and make it nearly impossible to sense the thing. I just didn't want to teach it yet, because now I'm going to have to teach _all_ of you how to do it. I don't get enough sleep as is damn it."

Smile tugging at her lips despite the situation, Blake did as Ichigo had told her. It was an extremely odd feeling pulling her power into herself like that. It went against ever instinct that Ichigo had drummed into his team...which might be why he had been annoyed with telling her. But even as she did so, she felt a flash of gratitude towards her friend. He hadn't judged her for her past, and was helping her- at an inconvenience for himself -to get the time she needed to put her thoughts into order. That was...really quite nice of him.

If she had ever doubted he treated his friends well, it was gone now.

"Good, looks like you got it," he spoke up after a few minutes, "Well, if you're going to go...do it now. I'll keep the others occupied."

As he turned to leave though, he looked back, "Be careful Blake. I don't want to have to try tracking you down to rescue you...and I can do that, even if you try hiding."

With his piece said, the teenager vanished into what he called shunpo. Blake watched him go, a small smile tugging at her lips still. Leaving Beacon, she walked up to the statue at the center of the plaza. The teenage girl didn't know where she would go...but this might be a start. She would have to go to Vale if she really wanted to hide of course...but for now, Blake could at least look at something to distract herself. Or would have been able to, were it not for a feeling pricking at her senses. With her own power bottled up like it was, it was oddly easier for her to sense others. And the Faunus girl could feel a power that was bright like the sun behind her, walking towards her slowly.

Since it wasn't Ichigo or anyone else she recognized...

_An enemy? No, it doesn't feel hostile_...

Blake turned around, and saw something that surprised her. Walking up with a cocky smirk on his face was the Faunus from earlier in the day. She wasn't expecting to see him, not up here. If anything, the girl wondered _how_ he had even gotten up here. Beacon had security...how had he gotten past it so easily? If it hadn't been for Ichigo's unique training, even _she_ wouldn't have noticed him. Though, to be totally fair, Blake could acknowledge she wasn't at her best at the moment.

"I knew you would look better without the bow," the other teen said, smirk widening.

"How did you get here?" Blake shot back.

The other Faunus shrugged, "I'm here for the tournament. Old Ozpin let me in earlier today. Name's Sun."

_Ironic, considering how his power feels._

"Blake."

Sun grinned, "Well, nice to meet you Blake. So, why're you out here this late?"

"Why are _you_ out here this late?"

"Oooh...good point," Sun scratched his chin, "I was exploring. Never been to Beacon before y'know?"

It made sense, Blake allowed, "So, Sun then...mind going down to Vale?"

"Oh, I can work with that."

* * *

**AN: And there we go. Not entirely satisfied here, but I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**

**I should note...Penny is actually one of my favorite characters. Lots of potential with her really. But, as this was from Ichigo's perspective, she was _always_ going to feel off in some way. We still don't know how the hell they pulled off an artificial soul/Aura. It might be similar to a Mod Soul, but certainly not the same. As such...while Ichigo can't put his finger on it, she _really_ freaks him out.**

**Hope that explains that bit. Onto the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**Telron, Grinja, duskrider, desdelor97, Kragh50, JJN37, JIMMYJAMSTER728, pltrgst, Cardin Haterz, NotSoSlimSh4dy, Ranmaleopard, Tracer28, Dragon and Sword Master: **Thanks for the reviews!

**KrazyFanfiction1:** Blake can only use it with her sheath. Like I said, basically the same thing she used against Torchwick.

**Drake93:** That would be equal parts awesome/amusing.

Yes.

Heh...I wondered when ship names would start popping up.

**PersonaQeminod1:** Well, we've touched on Penny a little here. That being said, what you suggest could potentially work...but it wouldn't be for a _looonnnggg _time.

**Gavedin:** This is true. But I used the_ No Brakes_ example because it was more a pseudo-Getsuga than the earlier ones.

**Mazamba:** Yeah, that's going to be a fun scene. I'm glad someone likes that I'm not overpowering him.

**xbox432:** Dance is going to be fun...I've already got things planned out in that regard. Should be interesting, though it is admittedly a ways off.

Isshin and the twins are going to be in the subarc. I'm debating if Taiyang and Qrow will be too or not though.

**Gravenimage:** Can't answer that one, unfortunately. Kinda tied into my 'keeping Ichigo's power level secret' thing.

**hollowichigo12:** Overprotective dad? Ichigo would probably welcome it- after turning red as the alternate meeting of his name at the implications regarding the sisters -considering it's _normal_ compared to good ole' Isshin.

** :** We got more Ichigo/Blake interactions here. Hope you liked it!

**peterpotter1999:** Kisuke will be the first other than Ichigo's family, I can say that much. Again, still a long way off though.

**18Gs:** Yes, it is within the Bleach storyline- though Remnant is quite apart from the other worlds.

As for the other question: No. _When_ exactly it is, is tied into the way Ichigo got to Remnant and his backstory. Something I can't answer in a review reply, to say the least.

**Assault Godzilla:** Bleach characters will start cropping up later on, but certainly nothing outside his family until after V2 at the earliest.

Ichigo'll certainly have influence outside his team. We've got Sun and Neptune coming up later on, toss in the teachers who have to learn anything his team learns...and JNPR...safe to say he's influencing more people than he would probably _like_ to actually.

**AN: And there we go. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter...next week will finish off V1, and then we jump into the next subarc. See you all then.**

**Side-note: I can't believe we're so close to 300 reviews for only ten chapters. I'm so in shock I'll even use an emoticon: O.O**


	12. White Fang

**AN: Hello, a day early! Posting this one early because I'm about to get _really_ busy with school work, and I want a bit of extra time to work with for the next one. Hope everyone enjoys it!  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

In hindsight, it might not have been the best idea to lie about where Blake was. That was what was going through Ichigo's head, as he silently walked among his bickering teammates. He had been ambushed almost as soon as he returned from talking to the Faunus- something he was still kicking himself for not noticing sooner -mostly by Weiss. Demands to tell where she was and _what_ she was quickly followed, giving the teenage shinigami a pounding headache to go with his normal irritation. He was telling more lies than truths these days, to add in to that...Blake was just the latest really. It just happened to be one that got Weiss glaring at him occasionally, while Ruby and Yang just bore worried looks. He knew the sisters were unhappy that he wouldn't tell them either...**  
**

But a promise, was a promise. And he had promised Blake that she would have the time alone she needed to figure things out. Hopefully that wasn't too long though, before Ichigo went crazy. His friends were his friends...but god if this wasn't frustrating for him. Knowing exactly where Blake was- he could tell even when she was hiding -but not being able to say anything about it was highly annoying. There was only so long he could keep it up.

"Blake!"

"Blake! Where arrrreee youuuu?!"

The constant yelling from the sisters wasn't helping.

**"Kingy, I like them too, but _please_ make them shut up."**

It was a sign of how frustrated the teen was that he didn't say anything to that.

"Weiss, Ichigo..." Ruby turned around, a frustrated look on _her_ face, "You aren't helping!"

"Oh, you know who might be able to help?" the heiress replied before he could, "The police! Or Ichigo, since he clearly saw her after she left."

"Weiss..." hearing a _growl_ from the hooded girl was a rare one.

For his part, Ichigo just sighed, "Look, I promised her I wouldn't say anything. I keep my promises. And the police would be pointless y'know, considering she _is_ a Huntress. Just saying."

"This wouldn't be a problem if you would just tell us."

"Still not doing it."

Yang sighed in the background, clearly just as frustrated as Ichigo himself was. Albeit probably for different reasons. Not that he was inclined to complain...misery loves company and all, after all.

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story first," the blonde said.

"_Thank you_," Ichigo pointed at his friend, "She understands."

"Of course I do. Besides, the questions are getting on my nerves," Yang shrugged, turning a grin on Ichigo, "After all, it's _my_ job to get stuff outta you."

"I knew there was a catch."

Ruby, despite the situation, giggled at the byplay. Weiss just scoffed and scowled remarkably like Ichigo as she walked past them. The shinigami sighed at the sight. Every time it seemed like they made some sort of progress with the girl she relapsed back into the ice queen persona. It was more than a little annoying, especially since non-icy Weiss was actually fairly fun to hang out with. Her seriousness was a nice balance to the sometimes manic tendencies of the sisters.

Of course, it was rare when Weiss wasn't annoyed with something or other.

"Well, I still think you'll all see _I'm_ right," the Heiress said.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today."

Ichigo shuddered at the peppy voice. Not because of the voice or how it sounded, but because of the person it belonged to. He _still_ wasn't used to whatever Penny was. Part of him doubted he ever would be.

"Gah!" Ruby shouted, "Penny, where did you come from?!"

_"Clearly, they are unused to sensory abilities if they failed to notice her,"_ Zangetsu spoke up.

**"Kingy didn't notice either."**

_"I ain't exactly looking for her. She still freaks me the hell out."_

Neither of his spirits could- or would -dispute that point as Penny waved cheerfully at the team.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?"

Weiss ignored the girl, while the sisters shared an awkward look. For his part, Ichigo was doing his level best _not_ to focus on Penny too much. Her Aura just weirded him out far too much.

In the end, it was Yang who fielded the question, "We're looking for our friend Blake."

"She's been missing all weekend," Ruby added.

Penny nodded thoughtfully, "Oh, you mean the Faunus girl."

Understandably the team shared a look at that. Even Weiss blinked in surprise, as none of _them_ had known Blake was a Faunus until she let it slip herself. And that had been after living with the girl for months. So how had Penny figured that out with just one meeting to work off of? That was more than a bit freaky. Which, then again, just added to the overall freakiness Ichigo felt about this strange girl.

"Wait...how do you know that?" Ruby spoke for the whole team.

"Umm...the cat ears?" Penny replied, pointing at her head.

_...does she have x-ray vision or something?_

It was a valid question. Even Ichigo himself had never noticed anything off about Blake's bow, other than her never taking the damn thing off. Certainly never noticed her ears until she showed him them.

"What cat ears?" Yang countered, "She wears a...bow..."

Silence followed that statement, as team RWBIY looked amongst themselves. Naturally, only Ichigo had known this going into the search. The other three had varying looks of surprise on their faces. Correction, Ichigo also had a look of confusion. Albeit for something not related to Blake, as a _tumbleweed_ rolled past. Through downtown Vale. In the middle of a world that probably shouldn't even have the things.

**"Kingy?"**

_"Yeah?"_

**"That was _weird_. And that's comin from _me_."**

Snorting softly, Ichigo barely caught the tale end of Ruby talking.

"She really does like tuna a lot..."

It took everything he had _not_ to laugh at that deadpan statement. Leave it to Ruby to jump from 'cat ears' to 'likes tuna a lot'. Sometimes he really did wonder what went on in that head of hers.

"So where is she?" Penny spoke up again, seeming to miss the point of 'looking for Blake'.

"We don't know," Ruby replied sadly, "She's been missing since Friday."

At that statement, Penny gasped and barged right past the other team members to grab the team leader. Ruby flinched back, her silver eyes going wide as she looked shocked at the sudden movement. To be fair, Ichigo probably would have reacted the same way. Or drawn Zangetsu, since he wasn't sure he wanted miss funky Aura touching him. Nothing against the odd girl...but still.

"That's terrible!" the girl said, "Don't you worry Ruby my friend. I won't rest until we find your teammate."

_Oh damn. Time to get outta here._

**"Run Kingy. Run and don't look back."  
**

When it was his Hollow side suggesting doing the running, Ichigo wasn't inclined to argue the point. He flashed away, as Weiss and Yang caught on and did much the same. Far slower than him, but even so, the three were gone before Ruby even realized it. Coming to a stop in front his other teammates, Ichigo waited for them to catch up to him. The girls were fast, but as he told Blake before...only the leader could hope to keep up with him at any real level. Nonetheless, they got far enough away from Ruby and Penny to feel comfortable.

Or, at least he assumed so, considering Yang broke down laughing once they stopped moving. Weiss sent a scathing look at the blonde, and sniffed as she looked back towards Ruby and her erstwhile 'friend'.

"Well, that was...fun," Yang finally got out.

Ichigo's eyebrow went up, "Nah. Still not sure what it is about her, but that girl freaks me the hell out."

"I know what you mean," Weiss added, her voice losing some of its harsh tone to be replaced with nervousness, "She feels nothing like the rest of us."

"You would notice, wouldn't you Princess?"

Glaring at Yang, Weiss just shook her head, "Not our problem. What is our problem is that I can't sense Blake."

It was the first time that the heiress had admitted to such. Ichigo scratched his head nervously, as both girls turned their full attention on him. It wasn't hard to figure out that if Blake had a way to hide from Weiss' almost unnaturally good senses, it had to come from the person who taught them how to sense in the first place. It just made sense...no pun intended. Ichigo wasn't Yang after all.

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

Didn't mean he wasn't going to play stupid. He still didn't want to train the hiding ability. It didn't really work well with Aura...the entire point of Aura was to extend your power out as a shield or offensive weapon. Pulling it in to hide didn't leave one defenseless...but it certainly didn't help. And the last thing Ichigo wanted was to get his friends hurt...which this could do. He had only told Blake because there wasn't a choice in the matter. He didn't want to teach the rest of the team unless they forced his hand.

Was he overprotective? Most likely. But after what happened to his mother...the shinigami never wanted to see anyone close to him get hurt again. And despite all odds, his team _were_ the closest people to him outside his family, certainly at _least_ as close as Tatsuki had been. If not even closer.

Weiss was the first one to speak, "Don't play innocent you. Not even Ruby could pull off an innocent act that would work here. I _know_ you had to teach Blake how to hide."

"For once, I do kinda agree with her," Yang sighed, looking like it was painful to admit that, "You taught us how to sense each other Ichigo. Not that hard to believe you can do the opposite. Cool, but not hard to believe."

All the teen could do was sigh, "Yeah, I can teach you. Not now though."

"Aww..." Yang pouted.

"For once, I agree with him," the heiress parroted the blonde, getting a grin from her, "I am _far_ more interested in finding Blake right now."

And just like that, the mood was quite effectively killed. Not even Zangetsu could kill something so easily.

"You don't care if she's our friend, do you?" Yang scowled, getting a facepalm from Ichigo...was everyone going to mimic him?

It was notable that she didn't say 'you don't care if we find her' though. Either Yang had a lot of faith in the two walking sensors of the group...or she knew Ichigo knew very well where Blake was. Considering it was _Yang_...the latter was rather more obvious. She always had been able to see through him easier than anyone else could. And he still had no idea why that was the case...

**"Focus asshole."**

Sending a mental glare at his Hollow/Zanpakutō, the teen focused back on his teammates. Weiss was glaring at Yang, who was glaring back. God, would have have to break up a...cat...fight?

"I do care," the heiress brushed her hair out of her face, "But that does not mean I can overlook what she said. The innocent never run Yang. And I can't easily forgive the White Fang...even if she's our friend."

With that piece said, the white-haired girl started walking off in a random direction. Ichigo and Yang just shared a look, before sighing in unison. Weiss was in quite the mood, and that was putting things mildly. And the thing was, she wasn't necessarily _wrong_ in how she felt. Ichigo didn't know how he would react if he were in her situation, but the fact _did_ remain that she had valid reasons to be more than a little unhappy. If even half of what she claimed about the White Fang and her family was accurate, it would be enough to make anyone angry. Even he could admit to that...it was rather like his strong hate for Hollows, outside his own Zanpakutō spirit.

That being said, Weiss was a bit out of line in taking it out on Blake. Whatever else was the case, Ichigo knew for a _fact_ that Blake wasn't in the Fang anymore. And clearly, she regretted ever being in it. So taking out her frustrations on the Faunus was pushing Weiss a bit further into the 'annoying Ichigo' category.

"What about you?"

Blinking slightly, Ichigo saw an oddly worried look on Yang's face, "Huh?"

"How do _you_ feel about all this?" the blonde clarified, waving a hand around.

Ichigo sighed, "I think Weiss is right to be a bit annoyed. If even half of what she said about her family is right, anyway. I can understand that feeling."

"You can?"

"Yeah..." Ichigo wasn't about to clarify though...talking about his mother was still a sore point, "That being said, she's taking it out a bit too much on Blake. She's our friend, and before this came up those two actually got along fairly well. So yeah, I think Weiss is taking things too far."

Yang just shook her head slightly, leaning against the wall as the heiress in question looked around with a frustrated look on her face. For her part, the blonde just looked...lost. It wasn't something Ichigo had seen on her face before.

"Blake was good at keeping secrets y'know?" Yang spoke softly, "I'm her partner, and I didn't really _know_ her."

The shinigami didn't say anything to that. He just leaned next to his friend, who sighed softly. Clearly she needed to get this off her chest, and he was the only one nearby she _could_ talk to. Clearly she wasn't going to talk to _Weiss_ at the moment.

"I didn't notice anything either," Ichigo finally spoke up.

"Yeah, you've been a bit busy," the blonde countered.

A shrug answered her, "Maybe, but Blake was just _really_ good at hiding what she is."

"Yeah...you're probably right," Yang clearly still felt bad on some level, but she pushed herself from the wall anyway, "Let's find her. I have some things I need to say to her!"

"Not surprised..."

Hearing that, Yang turned around, "You say something?"

"Nope!" Ichigo quickly replied.

"Thought so."

With that said, the friends moved to catch up to Weiss. Time to get back to searching...even as Ichigo himself kept a close eye on what flickers of Blake's energy he could easily sense...

* * *

**Blake Belladonna  
**

* * *

"Wait..._you_ were a member of the _White Fang?!_"

"Yes...I was a member for most of my life actually."

"Guess that explains why you ran from Beacon..."

Blake sighed softly at the shocked look on the other Faunus' face. Sun was a good guy...friendly enough, and didn't seem to care about what she was. But even he had shown quite a bit of shock at her revelation in regards to being a member of the White Fang. Not that she could really blame him. Admitting to being a former member of the most infamous terrorist organization in Remnant would probably shock anyone really. Aside from Ichigo anyway...but the girl had never seen _anything_ really shock her one male friend. Other than Yang's spar anyway, but that had been a one time thing that shocked _everyone_ but Ruby.

In any case, she was glad that Sun didn't seem to judge her for it at least. Now that he was past the initial shock the other teen was just watching her. Not in a strange way either, more like he just wanted answers. And Blake was willing to give those answers. It may seem odd that she was willing to spill her darkest secret to a stranger...but Sun was a Faunus too. And more importantly, there was something about him that just screamed 'you can trust me'. Kind of like Ichigo in that respect.

"You have to understand," Blake finally continued, "Back then, the White Fang was different. After the war, it was supposed to be a symbol of peace...of unity...between humans and the Faunus. It certainly wasn't a terrorist organization. But even after the war..."

"We still weren't treated equally," Sun finished, getting a raised eyebrow from the girl, "Hey, I _do_ pay attention in history thank you."

Rolling her eyes, though a small smile tugged at her lips, Blake nodded.

"Yes, we weren't. Because of that, the White Fang started the protests. It was peaceful, nothing more than normal protests. And I was there...at the front of every rally, holding a sign at every protest. You could say I was born into the White Fang really."

After she said that, Blake's eyes lost their focus...her mind going back to those old memories. It had been...nice...in a way. Having the family that was the White Fang at her side. Even if they spent most of their time protesting, something that young Blake hadn't really understood, it had still be nice. Until...

"But it didn't work. Humans still saw Faunus as beneath them, barely above animals," her fist clenched unconsciously at that statement, "So, five years ago, the original leaders stepped down. New ones took their place...new leaders, with a new plan."

Sun grimaced slightly, "The terrorists."

All Blake could do was nod in reply to that. There wasn't any way to describe it differently anyway...however much she hated to admit that.

"Yes. Our peaceful protests were replaced with organized attacks..." her voice trailed off, before the Faunus girl sighed and continued on, "We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor...and the worst part was...it was working. We were being treated equally, but not out of respect...out of fear."

There wasn't anymore to say on that subject. Blake still regretted those days...she missed Adam, but she didn't miss their attacks. Especially now that she _really_ thought what it did to others. Fighting Grimm was one thing. She really hated using her skills to harm other humans or Faunus...it felt wrong now. Sun luckily didn't seem to judge her for it though. Which was...nice.

And so, she continued talking, "So, one day I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. Instead, I would dedicate my life to being a Huntress...protecting others, not harming them. So here I am, a criminal hiding in plain sight, all with the aid of a little black bow."

Her ears twitched slightly at the end, almost out of shame. Her actions may have gone in the right direction now, but it was far from easy to forget what she had done when she was with the White Fang. She didn't _want_ to forget, on some level. It was a shame, but it showed her she could come back from the edge. It showed her what was wrong, and how she could change for the better. She wasn't proud of what she had done by any means, and still feared it coming back to bite her at some point in the future. How could she not?

But...at least now, she could do something to improve the world.

"So..." Sun broke into her thoughts, "Have you told your friends any of this?"

Once more, all Blake could do was look down. A flash of regret flew over her face, hung low towards the table. She knew she should have told her team this, a long time ago. Weiss may not have reacted well, but if Ichigo were any indication the rest of team RWBIY would have accepted her. Hell, it was likely that Ruby would have just hugged her and started asking a million questions about what being a Faunus was like.

"Only Ichigo...and that was just recently," she answered.

Sun shook his head slightly, "Well, what are friends for if not telling each other things?"

"I know. I've been running and hiding from my past for so long..."

The other Faunus just sighed and got to his feet "Well, time to stop running right? What's the plan now?"

Blake sighed herself, as she started to walk away from the little cafe, "I still don't think the White Fang is behind the robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

"Hmm..." Sun hummed, "What if they _did_? I mean, the only way to prove they _didn't_ do it, is to go to the place they would be if they were doing it...and not find them there. Right?"

Holding back a smirk at the way Sun threw his fingers out at the end, Blake put thought into his words. He did have a point in all honesty. The only way to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the White Fang wasn't behind the robberies- Blake was still convinced it was Torchwick...both Ichigo and Ruby had brought up good points in that regard -was to catch whoever _was_ doing it. But there were dozens of Dust shops in Vale...how would they find the right one? Even with the sensory abilities that Ichigo had taught her, it wouldn't be much good without the knowledge of where to look.

And she said as much too.

"The only problem is, I would have no idea where to look."

"Well, when I was on the ship, I heard the crew talking about a huge Dust shipment."

"How huge?" Blake asked, gears turning in her head.

_"Huge,_" Sun replied, throwing his arms out, "Big Schnee company freighter."

"You're sure?"

Even as she asked that though, Blake felt her stomach drop out from under her. If there was anything Weiss was correct about, it was the White Fang's blood feud with the Schnee family. Even if they weren't attacking the shops...

They may very well attack the Schnees.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

It was nighttime by the time Blake had gotten to a position where she could overlook the docks safely. She flattened herself to the roof of a warehouse, sharp eyes scanning the dark. Times like this, being a Faunus- especially a cat-Faunus -was quite useful. She could see far better out at the dark area than any human could. Not that it would help her much if Sun was wrong and nothing happened here. She could tell that he was right about this being a bunch of Schnee Dust, but if anyone would attack...

"Anything happen?"

Speak of the monkey...

"No, nothing," Blake replied easily, "They've offloaded all the crates...but now they're just sitting there."

"Cool," Sun nodded, sticking out his hand that held...an apple, "I stole you some food."

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" what could she say...it was the first thing to come to mind.

All the other teen did was raise an eyebrow, "Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?"

In response to _that_ all Blake could do was give him her very best glare.

"Okay, too soon."

The situation _might_ have become amusing with that. If it weren't for the spotlight that suddenly shone down on the ground around them. And the sound of engines...the engines of a transport. Snapping her head around, Blake saw a standard old transport come in for a landing, it's lights scanning everywhere but where the two Faunus were camped out. Lucky too, considering the pilot clearly didn't notice either of them. The transport came down completely, lights shutting down as the engines whine became a steady purr as it idled. But that was far from Blake's attention, as the ramp came down.

And down it came a figure in a familiar white uniform...with red wolf with three bloody claws emblazoned on the back.

"Oh no..."

Sun picked up on her mood quickly, "That them?"

"Yes, it's them."

Blake hadn't wanted to believe it was the White Fang. It didn't make sense for them to attack Dust stocks like that. But the evidence was staring her in the face now...there wasn't any _room_ to deny it now.

That being said...

"Hey! What's the hold up?!" a male voice shouted, quite effectively gaining Blake's attention. For the source of the voice quickly revealed...Roman Torchwick, "We're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals pick up the pace?"

_Torchwick? It can't be...the White Fang would never work with a human. _Any_ human! So why would they be working with him?! He's the worst sort of human there is!_

Acting entirely on instinct, Blake got to her feet and drew Gambol Shroud. Sun blinked, and reached a hand out to her.

"Hey, what're doing?!"

"This isn't right...the White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like him."

With that piece said, Blake jumped to the ground, and sprinted towards the landed transport. The darkness, her natural stealth skills, and what Ichigo had taught her all came together. Together in a perfect storm of 'ninja awesome!' as Ruby would call it. What mattered more to Blake, was that she was quiet and undetected as she snuck up on the horrible man. Who had no idea she was there, as he berated a member of the White Fang for some reason. Blake hardly noticed or cared what he was saying. What was important...was that her blade was at his neck, her free hand holding his hands together behind his back.

Torchwick grunted at the sudden movement, looking over his shoulder before rolling his eyes. Even in this situation the man managed to do that?

"Nobody move!" the Faunus shouted, bringing Gambol Shroud's blade in close to the crook's neck.

"Whoa there, take it easy little lady," Torchwick said, his voice not showing any nervousness at his predicament...or the fact that even Aura wouldn't protect from a point-blank cut to the jugular.

In response, all Blake did was pull her bow free, revealing her cat ears to the White Fang members. They backed up, shock clear even with the Grimm masks blocking their faces.

"Brother's of the White Fang!" the young girl shouted, "Why are you aiding this scum?!"

There wasn't an answer from any of the Faunus. The answer came from Torchwick, who chuckled until Blake's blade came closer to his neck. At that point he turned slightly to see her better, maddening grin welded to his face. It was the opposite of the other orange haired man she knew on ever level.

"Didn't you get the memo kid? The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture."

Glare on her face, Blake ground out a reply, "Tell me what your little operation is, or I'll put an end to it."

Torchwick just continued grinning, "I wouldn't exactly call it a _little_ operation."

As he said that, two more transports came into sight. Blake grimaced as they buffeted her with their engine's, spotlights shining directly on her. With all her attention focused on the transports, she didn't notice Torchwick moving either. He broke her grip on his hands, making Blake look down only to have her eyes widen. His cane opened up, the flash of a shell flying down it. Quickly pushing her Aura to full on instinct, Blake jumped back as a decent explosion blasted into the ground. Rolling to a halt, she groaned slightly.

Stupid...so stupid of her. She should have remembered Ruby mentioning he had a gun-cane. If she had gotten it out of his hands...

_Damn!_

The cane in question was aimed directly at her, forcing the Faunus into a roll as Torchwick fired on her once more. Explosions blossomed behind Blake, as she jumped back. That thing was quick...

"No!"

A shell flew right at her face, forcing Blake to tap into her semblance. A shadow clone formed, propelling her back at the same time as it took the shell. Grimacing at playing her hand so early, the Huntress-in-training quickly sprinted behind a crate. Panting softly, she focused on her training...both what Adam had taught her, and what Ichigo had taught her. She was going to need every edge she had to win against this many White Fang members on her own. Not to mention Torchwick...

"Leave her alone!"

_Sun? He can't be..._

Ducking her head around the crate, Blake's eyes widened. Sun was spinning around, a staff in his hands as he knocked other Faunus aside left and right. She almost couldn't believe it...clearly he was a fighter, if him coming on that ship was any indication. Seeing it was another story though. Her eyes widened further though, when he charged at the criminal. Sun's staff transformed into...wired shotguns?

"It doesn't matter," Blake shook her head, jumping into the fray as shells flew back and forth between Sun and Torchwick. Bringing Gambol Shroud down on the cane that the human used, she grimaced. He shouldn't have caught that...not that it mattered, "He's mine!"

Purple light began to flare around the Faunus girl, making both Sun and Torchwick blink in shock. Shouting out a combat cry, Blake pushed her Aura out the way she had been practicing for months now. The purple crescent of energy, so similar to Ichigo's Getsuga, knocked Torchwick back. The orange haired man stumbled as he landed, his cane bearing a cut along its length from the attack.

"What the hell..." he muttered, before looking up.

Blake followed his eyes, both her sheath and blade ready to fight...only to have her own eyes widen at what he was now aiming at. A shell flew from the cane, hitting a dangling crate. Acting on pure instinct, Blake pulled Sun out of the way. The two came down in a tangle of limbs, as Torchwick grinned.

"I don't care what it was you used," the man bragged, "You lose kitty cat."

The crook's hand tightened on the trigger of his cane, only for a much more _feminine_ voice to distract him.

"Hey!"

* * *

**Ruby Rose  
**

* * *

It took a lot to make Ruby angry. A _lot_. She wasn't like Yang, sisters or not. Her temper was slow to rise, and very few things could set it off. Seeing Roman Torchwick holding his weapon at Blake's head was certainly one of those things. As such, she had Crescent Rose on her shoulder, the blade deployed and ready to fight. The orange-haired man down on the ground just looked amused though, as he took his eyes off her friend. He outright laughed at her actually, making Ruby frown.

"Oh hey Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Ruby, are these your friends?" Penny's voice spoke up behind her.

Turning her head, Ruby waved a hand, "Penny, stay back."

That moment of inattention almost cost her. The next thing she knew, there was a bright flash of light in front of her, heat flowing through her clothes. Blinking the spots from her eyes, the team leader realized one thing. That had been a shell from Torchwick...who clearly had no qualms attacking someone with their back turned. But it hadn't hit her...why hadn't it hit her?

As her vision cleared, Ruby got her answer.

"Ichigo?"

The familiar orange hair and black outfit stood in front of her- or rather, _in the air in front of her!_ -his blade already in Shikai. The massive cleaver was scorched, clearly used to block the attack. As if that wasn't enough though...she could _feel_ the anger rolling off him. Ruby wasn't as good as Weiss at the whole sensing thing, but it was hard _not_ to notice.

"No one attacks my friends," Ichigo muttered, barely loud enough for the teen to hear.

Surprising her further, _Penny_ walked forward, "Stay here Ruby."

Her mind quickly going into overdrive, all Ruby could do was gape as she looked between her friends. What was going on?!

"Penny, wait!"

All she got in response to that was the strange girl looking back, a grin on her face, "Don't worry Ruby...I'm combat ready."

Ichigo stayed silent, as he flashed toward the ground- and Torchwick -faster than Ruby could follow. For her part, Penny had _swords come out of her back_\- which was awesome! -as she jumped to the ground. Ruby ran to the edge of the warehouse, and watched with wide eyes. The girl was swinging her swords around, the spinning blades blocking attacks and sending the enemy flying around like dolls. Every movement of her arms sent the blades flinging forward, and every movement of the blade knocked someone aside.

_This is awesome!_

Geeking out aside, Ruby blinked as she saw Penny send her blades bowling over a group of at least a dozen people. Not even slowing down, she pulled them back and looked for more targets. Not seeing any in sight, Ruby turned her eyes towards Ichigo.

"Oh my god!"

Who was almost painfully easily keeping up with Torchwick. Every swing of the cane was met by one of Zangetsu's blades. Every shell was cut out of the air, every taunt was ignored. It was almost like he was toying with him...was this what Ichigo was really capable of? Why hadn't she seen him fight like this before? It was then that his words came back to her...

_"No one attacks my friends..."_

Fighting the sudden rush of heat to her face, Ruby blinked her eyes slowly.

"Is he really that protective?"

If the way he was fighting was any indication...

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The crescent of blue energy narrowly missed Torchwick, and instead flew into a transport attempting to escape...one that had only narrowly avoided getting sliced to pieces by Penny's own green attack. The combination of which gave the crook a break to escape, as Ichigo had to duck around falling enemies.

"Get back here you bastard!"

But no amount of yelling would work, when Torchwick took to the sky in the remaining transport. Smoke flew from it, blocking any attempts at attack. Not that it was needed...flaming wreckage and bodies littered the ground of police sirens began to sound in the background. Ruby jumped down to the ground, her mind still overloaded by everything that had just happened. She had seen Ichigo in his full 'protect' mode...and it still had a flush in her cheeks. Penny had proven to be even stranger than she had thought. And Torchwick had been behind the attacks. There was so much going on, it was little wonder she was overwhelmed by it all.

Running up to Ichigo, she saw him sighing as he sealed and sheathed his blade. The teen looked out at the flaming debris, his eyes illuminated by the flames. Ruby blinked as she saw a hint of black in his eye, before he shook his head and looked back at her. A tired smirk was on his face, like he _hadn't_ just been toying with a notorious criminal. Maybe it hadn't been as easy as it looked? But Ichigo was stronger than anyone she knew...except Yang, at least.

"You okay?" he broke into her thoughts.

Ruby nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'm totally fine! That was awesome Ichigo, I've never seen you fight like that!"

The other teen nervously scratched his neck, "Yeah, well...no one attacks my friends and gets away with it. I'm just annoyed he got away."

There was clearly more to the story than that. But Ichigo wasn't talking, as the police rounded the group up.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Unable to get anything out of her friend, all Ruby could do was wait. Blake had told her everything- and shown her absolutely _adorable_ kitty ears -but now the team was just waiting for Weiss and Yang to show up. If there was one thing that was true, it was there was _no way_ Weiss hadn't noticed the battle. Not with her abilities. Something confirmed as the sound of her heels hit the ground.

Ruby jumped to her feet, trying to cut off the heiress before something bad happened.

"Weiss, it's not what you think! She explained everything! She doesn't really wear a bow, she actually has kitty ears and they're kind of cute..."

The heiress just ignored her, walking up to the Faunus. Weiss and Blake stared each other down, the tension clearly visible in the air.

Blake was the first to break said silence, "Weiss, I want you to know I'm no longer associated with the White Fang..."

"Stop."

That one word brought any conversation to a halt, as the white-haired girl stared down her dark-haired counterpart, "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you? 12 hours. And in that 12 hours, I've had plenty of time to think. And you know what? I don't care."

"You...don't..."

"You're not going to run off and join them are you?"

A head shake was that question's answer, "Of course not!"

Weiss smiled ever so slightly, "Then I don't see the problem. You're our friend...just promise me this. The next time something comes up, come to us...not someone...else."

And with just a handful of words, team RWBIY was on the mend. The leader could only grin at the sight, joined by Yang and a small smirk from Ichigo. The team was back together, and that was great for all of them.

"Yeah! Team RWBIY is back together!"

* * *

**AN: There we go. Not satisfied with the Ruby bit at the end, but eh, did the best I could with that scene. It wasn't easy to do either.  
**

**I feel like I should note something...Torchwick is a great fighter. But I see him as a defense fighter...he blocks Blake and Sun's attacks fairly easily. But if he gets into a fight with someone who can do something he can't anticipate- see, Blake v. Torchwick in _No Brakes_ -he can't adapt well. Ichigo just has the raw power and unfamiliar training that messes him up here. That's how I look at it anyway.**

**Hope that makes sense. I also hope everyone liked the chapter. Now, to the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**Krazyfanfiction1, Kragh50, xbox432, Telron, Ranmaleopard, Arcangel1342, duskrider, JJN37, desdelor97, Grinja, Matt, Guest, pltrgst:** Thanks for the reviews!

**ChaosAlpha5:** Not till far, far later...and that's another thing I can't answer because I don't want to say where Ichigo really is.

**Erdrick117:** I explained my view on it here...the hiding is more just bringing the Aura in close, as opposed to pushing it out. Not going away, so much as losing it's 'force field' nature.

**Takei Daloui:** That much I can answer...which is yes.

**P-and-P:** Can't answer yet. I will say though, that the pairing will be established at the end of the subarc that starts next chapter.

**The Megaevolved Pony:** Maybe...I didn't say _how_ Kisuke was appearing.

**liberty86:** As above, Hollow is a yes- clearly, since he's on good terms with his Hollow-side -but can't say beyond that. It's a bit of a major plot point.

**correnhimself316:** Heh...yeah, Ichigo doesn't really think about how visible he is, does he?

**hollowichigo12:** Penny is going to be interesting really...hopefully we find out just _how_ she was made soon-ish. I'd rather not make it up if I can avoid it.

**Drake D Zero:** He doesn't like teaching things to begin with. But, that and what he mentioned in the chapter...it's a bit dangerous.

**yiggdrasill:** Heh...not much else I could have done there. If I had combined the episodes...well, that would have been a monster chapter.

**gatesofhellkeeper:** The sisters will meet him this upcoming subarc.

**bleachnumber1protector:** Well, he _is_ from his own universe. When he came to Remnant is something I can't answer here.

**PersonaQeminod1:** Yes, eventually. It's his biggest secret though, so not something that'll happen soon.

** :** It would have been amusing to be sure.

**The Digger92:** Eventually, yes. Just not yet. Ichigo fights'll come up in the next arc for sure...from his perspective this time, instead of Ruby's.

**Gravenimage:** It's certainly fun to manage the schedule. Hence posting this one early so I have a bit more time to type the next one, considering the amount of schoolwork I've been saddled with.

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! 310 for 11 chapters...I almost can't believe it. There was 30 for the last one alone. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter so we can keep it up!**

**Also, a little teaser...the title of the next chapter.**

_**Mother's**** Day**_


	13. Mother's Day

**AN: Chapter is on time. Yay!  
**

**I honestly worried about that, considering how much work I have. It's in large part why I'm only updating Soul Hunter right now...just not enough _time_ to do anything more. Enough about that though...onto the chapter.**

* * *

**Weiss Schnee  
**

* * *

"What is with those three?"

"No idea. They've been acting like that since this morning."

"It's odd. I have never seen _Ruby_ acting like that. Leave alone Yang. At least Ichigo is always moody."

A soft sound of laughter came from Blake at that statement. Weiss Schnee couldn't quite keep the smile from crossing her own face either. They had gotten past the whole 'White Fang' thing by now, and she was comfortable enough to let her teammate see said smile too. Which was a good thing, because at the moment only Blake was in a 'talking' mood. Which said more about the current situation in Team RWBIY than anything else could really. Weiss hadn't been lying when she said it was exceedingly odd the way the rest of the team was acting. Ruby and Yang were almost unbearably peppy most of the time. Sure, the younger sister had her moments where she was down. But this...was a different thing entirely.

Not only was Ruby down for no apparent reason, but her sister was acting much the same way. Now, the heiress might have been willing to pass it off as some family thing. But _Ichigo Kurosaki_ was acting the same way. And while he _was_ moody most of the time, he was never _this_ moody. It made no sense to her at all. One of them acting like it, even normally peppy Yang...that was one thing. All of them, at the same time?

"Is there something today I missed?" Weiss mused.

Blake shrugged, "Not that I know of. We are out of classes, so there are not any exams."

"Then why are they acting like this?"

"You know you _could _ask them yourself right?"

"Quiet you," Weiss frowned at _her_ tone of voice being thrown back at her, "I doubt I would get a straight answer out of those three. Especially Ichigo, getting anything out of him is worse than pulling a nail."

"You have a point," the Faunus girl snapped her book shut, "But how do you expect to find an answer without asking?"

There wasn't an easy answer to that question. Weiss had made it clear that she lacked any real information. She had also made clear her lack of a desire to ask her teammates. So where did that leave _her_?

"I'm sure there is something we can do," the heiress replied.

"Library?"

"Only you would suggest that."

"So says the girl who spent most of her time in there when we were researching Ichigo."

Fighting the flush that came to her cheeks, Weiss could hardly deny the point. Fact was, if there was _anything_ the girl and her Faunus counterpart had in common, it was reading. Maybe not to the same extent that Blake did, but the point remained that Weiss was a bit of a bookworm herself. That was hardly the issue at hand though. Regardless of her reading habits, checking the library was not going to help.

Yes, they had found stuff on Ichigo in there. At least, they assumed so since it was fairly clear that even if he denied the relation there _was _a relation between him and the books. But it was doubtful to an extreme that there would be anything on what was causing the apparent moodiness there. If only because it seemed to be hitting Ruby and Yang just as much as it was Ichigo, and there was no logical reason that anything could hit all three of them like that. Certainly not any logical reason the answer would be in the library.

So instead...

"I think we should keep an eye on them," Weiss said, walking towards the door with a determined glint in her eye.

"Spying on our teammates?" Blake deadpanned behind her.

The heiress spun around, "Of course not! I'm just suggesting we see if we can find what's bothering the by watching them. We're a team...it's our duty to make sure our teammates are okay."

"Point. I still think we should just ask."

Weiss just shook her head, "If you want to try, go ahead. I guarantee you won't get anything."

"Maybe. Still worth a shot."

_She's as stubborn as ever..._

Shaking her head slightly, Weiss didn't know how to feel about Blake's behavior. It was like she was _trying_ to be difficult. So maybe she wasn't _quite_ over the whole White Fang thing yet...

"Then go ahead and try if you're so sure," the heiress huffed, stomping out the door.

Was she being a bit bitter? Probably. But hey, it wasn't like she was acting any differently than normal.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

_Okay...Ruby and Yang are sticking closer than usual. Ichigo is being more of a loner than usual. But what are they doing in common?_

Holding her journal up, Weiss scribbled in it as she watched her teammates out of the corner of her eye.

_They're all acting the same way. Depressed and moody, and very out of character for Yang. There is an unusual attachment to items too...I'm not sure what that is. Ruby refuses to take her cloak off, even more so than usual. Yang keeps checking her scroll for something, but I can't tell what. Ichigo is the oddest...he's been carrying around that little box of his all day. I haven't the slightest idea why, he's never been so attached to it before.  
_

"Weiss."

Flinching and nearly tossing her journal into the air, Weiss turned her best glare on her Faunus teammate. Blake looked completely unrepentant, as she sent her friend a deapdan look. Of course, the heiress's best glare did nothing to her former terrorist friend. It was a bit frustrating really...and she was getting off track.

"What is it Blake? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Busy spying?"

"It is _not_ spying!"

A roll of her eyes made it clear what the other girl thought about _that_ statement, "Anyway, I asked Yang what was going on. All she said was to check the date."

"Check the...why?"

In response, the taller girl held out her scroll. A list of holidays cropped up on it, from the end of the Great War to the more mundane King's Day. What jumped out, of course, was the date of the current day of course. One that had an elegant white brow rising up into Weiss' hairline.

"Mother's Day?"

Blake nodded, "Yes."

Sitting back in her chair, Weiss frowned softly. Why would Mother's Day be causing this much problems for her team? The heiress could admit that the date completely passed her mind...she didn't really remember her mother, and Father didn't talk about her much either. So to her, it was just another day that others may have a holiday for. Nothing different than any other holiday she had never celebrated really. She could understand it being important to others though...but 'important' and 'apparently depressing' were two entirely different things. Weiss couldn't for the life of her see why her teammates would be depressed by this day. They certainly hadn't acted this way on any other holiday. Nor was Blake acting any different than normal.

_Then_ it hit her. The only reason her friends could be acting depressed on Mother's Day as opposed to any other day...was if something happened to their mothers. She herself was far too young when her mother passed to remember anything to make her sad. It was hard for her to be sad for a woman she had never known, not when she had a hard enough childhood as is. But if the others had fonder memories of their parent and lost her...that might go a long way towards explaining the situation. Explaining why they were acting the way they were at least.

Didn't do much to explain the items.

"Do you think something happened to their mothers?" she finally spoke up, looking at the silent Faunus next to her.

"Yes," Blake answered, sitting down with a small sigh, "it would make sense."

"But why wouldn't they have told us something?" Weiss asked, "We're a team...I thought we agreed to always say when something was bothering us, after..."

"I blew up?" the other girl replied rhetorically.

"Blunt...but yes."

Running a hand through her dark hair, the Faunus sighed again, "We did make that promise. But would you feel comfortable talking about something that hurt you? Especially a parent?"

"Do you think their mothers hurt them?!"

It would have been comical how Weiss missed the point, had the situation been any different.

"No, of course not."

Blake made her opinion on _that_ quite clear. And as she did, Weiss realized where she had slipped up. Her pale face lit up in a brilliant blush, as she inwardly cursed herself. Jumping to conclusions was never a good thing. She was better than that. Besides, it didn't explain the item thing that was still bugging her brain.

"I think something happened _to_ their mothers," she continued, "Look at how they're all acting...even Ichigo. Holding onto things like that? What if what they're doing is holding onto something belonging to their mothers?"

That...actually made a certain amount of sense. Weiss had an old hairclip that her sister had given her when they were younger...when they had a good relationship. Holding onto it for its sentimental value was something she did, not holding onto it for any use she could get out of it. If what her team was doing was the same, it would make a lot of sense. Especially holding onto things and acting moody at the same time...on this day. If those things they were holding belonged to their mothers, and something had happened to said parents...well, she could understand that believe it or not. Weiss may be cold for the most part, but she could understand that much at least.

And looking over at Ruby wiping tears from her eyes with the hem of her cloak while Yang held her against her side, it made her realize that she was right to not ask. Not because she didn't expect an answer...but because even blunt Weiss Schnee could understand that this was a sensitive topic. The clear pain in the sister's forms now made that much abundantly clear.

"I feel like I'm intruding," she finally spoke up.

Blake nodded, "I know. We should probably give them space and time to...do whatever they need to do."

"We probably should. But I want to help them."

Sensitivity aside, Weiss still had her determination to be the best teammate she possibly could be. And that manifested at bad times on occasion...such as this one.

"Right now, I think they need the time alone," the dark-haired girl countered, "we would just be intruding."

"I know that!" Weiss rolled her eyes, her normal temperament returning slightly, "still. I feel bad just leaving them like this, no matter the situation. It does not feel right."

"It shouldn't feel right, but it _is_ the right thing to do. I owe Ichigo for giving me time alone when I needed it...letting him, Ruby and Yang have their time alone is the least we can do Weiss."

"You're probably right Blake."

Another eyeroll answered that one. Weiss just glared at her teammate, though there wasn't any bite behind it. She _could_ acknowledge when Blake had a point after all, and this was certainly one of those cases. It was easy to see that the others needed the time alone. Even though it still felt incredibly odd to her to look at the others that way.

"Let's go," the Faunus waved at the nearest door.

Weiss just nodded, and followed her teammate out. Hopefully the others would be back to normal soon. It was exceedingly difficult to deal with a moody team.

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

Ichigo didn't fail to notice Blake and Weiss leave the area. He may have been down and a bit out of it, but his father had quite literally beaten into him the importance of always observing his surroundings. That being said, he did appreciate them not asking what was going on. This was one of two days of the year that he didn't want people messing with him for a reason after all. Needless to say, he really didn't want to have someone trying to drag answers out of him today. Certainly not his team, who once they latched onto something, refused to let go. At least he didn't have to worry about Yang, who was the one most likely to try doing so.

Then again, he didn't have to worry about her because...

**"Kingy? They're acting just like you."**

...both Ruby and Yang were acting the exact same way he was. Right down to holding onto something, whether it be Ruby's cloak or her sister's scroll. He himself had his mother's box, something he had taken to holding onto on both Mother's Day and the day she died. He wouldn't call himself the most sentimental person in the world, but this _was_ all he had of his mother. It shouldn't be a surprise that he held onto it these days...or that he was curious himself why the sisters were acting the exact same way.

_"I wonder if something happened to their mother."_

_"It would seem likely,"_ the Quincy Zangetsu replied, _"Their Auras are fluctuating, and we have learned that means emotional turmoil. In addition, the way Ruby is clutching her cloak is nearly identical to how you treat our mother's cross."_

_Our_ Mother...well, to be fair Masaki had given birth to all three parts of Ichigo's soul...aside from the Hollow that had merged with Zangetsu anyway.

**"Oldie does have point. Kinda curious what happened myself."**

_"I am too, but I'm not about to ask. I wouldn't want them asking me."  
_

**"I ain't sayin ya should ask Kingy."**

_"Just making sure."  
_

**"Yeah yeah."**

Shaking his head slightly, Ichigo absently ran a hand over the rough wood in his hands. It had something of a soothing effect on him, much as holding Zangetsu's hilt did. It was faint, but he could feel his mother's warm and comforting reiatsu whenever he ran a finger over the wood. It was only an echo of an echo, but feeling it at all was comforting in a way. He hadn't realized what he had been feeling when he was a kid and had his mother smother him in a hug with her energy laying over him like a blanket when he cried...but he did now.

_"The rain is stopping."_

Ichigo just let a small smile cross his face. Of course the rain in his inner world was stopping. Whenever he was at ease it did...and feeling his mother's energy, however small and weak it was, always did that.

_"You two up for some sparring?"_

**"King. I'm a Hollow."**

_"Of this, we are well aware. But yes Ichigo, I am willing."  
_

Soothing feeling from the box or not, Ichigo could always use a good spar with his spirits to get his mind off his mother. Granted, he could always use a spar to get his mind off bad thoughts in any regard. Beating the ever-loving hell out of Zangetsu tended to have that type of effect. Of course, he ended up getting beaten half the time...

No way to know how it would go other than doing it though. Sitting down, Ichigo pulled his blade off his back, his mother's box securely in a pocket of his uniform. Setting Zangetsu's blade in his lap, he leaned against the wall and entered the meditative pose that was the heart of Jinzen. The teen shut his eyes, his breathing going into a deep breath state, as his mind entered its innermost world.

**"Ready for this Kingy?"**

Opening his eyes, Ichigo noted that his inner world was absolutely soaking in water. He wasn't particularly surprised by this...it was to be expected really.

"Of course I am," the shinigami easily replied, pulling his blades off his back. Whenever he entered here, he was already in Shikai. It certainly made this type of duel easier.

The dark half of Zangetsu grinned at the challenge. His deathly pale features stretched into the grin, making him look positively unhinged. An effect that was not diminished in the slightest by the fact hat he looked _just_ like Ichigo himself, merely with no color and the dark eyes of a Hollow. That, and the fact that unlike Ichigo he merely bore one blade...the larger of the two, completely white instead of pitch black like Ichigo's own. There was already the glowing white of a charged Getsuga in the blade, the Hollow eager as ever for a fight.

This was in complete contrast to his counterpart, balanced on a flagpole as was usual of him. The Quincy side of Zangetsu was far more regal looking than his somewhat unhinged appearing counterpart. Dark cloak billowing in a non-existent wind, he had yet to make any move to draw a blade. Though that was just a small comfort for Ichigo. If anything, the Quincy portion of his blade was _more_ dangerous than the Hollow one. He was a better strategist, and knew every weakness the teen had like the back of his hand. The fact that his eyes were examining his wielder behind his orange sunglasses didn't help matters, nor did the fact that his small- in comparison to the Hollow's blade -weapon was still out of sight.

_"Prepare yourself Ichigo."_

As the Quincy said that, his Hollow counterpart grinned even wider, were that possible.

**"Getsuga Tensho!"**

A white crescent of energy flew at Ichigo, who scowled at the wave. Raising his own swords, he crossed them in front of his body.

"Getsuga Jūjisho."

That was the one technique that the shinigami could do that his Zanpakutō could not. Both his 'cleaver' and 'trench knife' blades began glowing with blue energy, before he swung them down. A massive cross-shaped wave of reiatsu flew from the crossed blades, colliding with Zangetsu's Getsuga Tensho. The two attacks warred with each other, before blowing apart in a fireball large enough to crack the building the spirits were standing on.

_"Good. But you have left yourself open."_

Ichigo spun around, as his Quincy powers brought his smaller blade down on his shoulder. Barely catching the smaller blade with the identical one in his left hand, the shinigami let a smirk cross his face.

"I don't fall for the same trick twice Zangetsu."

**"No, but you also get cocky!"**

Zangetsu shot up from beneath Ichigo, through the cracked side of the building. The teen jumped back, wincing as his leg gained a cut. If he hadn't jumped back, that might have cut him in half...or would have, were his Hollow serious about killing him.

"Damn it," Ichigo cursed, "I hate when you do stuff like that!"

**"All's fair in battle Ichigo!"**

_Damn Hollow..._

Ducking underneath a swing from his more violent blade, Ichigo charged a Getsuga in his offhanded sword. Wordlessly, he flung the attack at the Quincy to buy some breathing room. Zangetsu brought a hand up and _slapped_ the attack away, but it served its purpose. Ichigo got enough of a gap to flash away from his blades, panting slightly. They always pushed him to his limits or beyond, and this was no different. Sparring with his team was one thing, fighting Torchwick had been one thing...but no one would ever be able to push him as hard as these two.

_"Is that all you have Ichigo?"_

Spitting out some blood, Ichigo scowled, "Of course not!"

Raising his blades, Ichigo prepared to charge his spirits once more. Before he could however, he ground to a halt so fast he nearly faceplanted into the _very_ unhealthy looking broken glass and steel in front of him. The reason was readily apparent, when a voice began to echo through his inner world. A distinctly _female_ voice in fact. One that sounded a bit panicked, even though he had never heard that tone from it.

"Ichigo! Wake up!"

_Yang?_

Sending his spirits a curious look, Ichigo shut his eyes in his inner world...and opened them outside. The first thing he saw was a mop of blonde hair, obscuring anything else. The second thing he saw was Yang's lilac eyes looking into his amber ones. From entirely too close.

"GAH!"

Jumping back- and hitting his head on the wall -Ichigo wondered what was going on. Even as his head started pounding and his face went redder than Ruby's cloak. For her part, Yang looked like she was fighting back a laugh at the way her friend had slammed into the wall. Damn tease. Of course, the amused look didn't last for long. Soon enough, Yang's face turned into a far more serious expression, one that Ichigo was far from used to seeing on her. The image wasn't helped by the fact that Ruby was behind her...crying into her cloak. Not only had the teen never seen Yang look that serious, he had _certainly_ never seen Ruby crying like that.

Which might go a good way towards explaining why she had pulled him out of his Jinzen like that.

"Ichigo, I need your help," his friend began.

"Eh?"

Yang sighed, "Get over here. Ruby's crying, and I want to know why."

"How would _I_ know?"

"Because...well, just..." the blonde stumbled for words, before sighing, "She felt our mom."

_Wait...what?_

Frowning slightly now, Ichigo looked at his friend, "Is your mom here?"

A headshake answered that, "That's the thing. Our mom is...gone."

"Then how could she be..."

Tugging on Ichigo's arm, Yang sighed, "That's exactly what I want to know. Now get over here. You're the expert on this walking Aura detector thing."

**"Heh...you an expert on sensing things."**

_"Shut up in there."  
_

Ignoring his spirit, Ichigo moved to stand next to his leader. Or, rather, was dragged there by her sister. Ruby looked up at the pair with red-rimmed eyes, the overall effect making her look younger than she really was. Especially with the way she was clutching so tightly to the cloak she always wore. If Ichigo didn't know better, he'd say she was using it as a crutch. Which then again...might make some sense.

"Ruby?" the shinigami got on his knees next to her, "What's up?"

"I...I..." she stumbled just as bad as her sister had, "I felt mom! I didn't know what it was...but when I focused like you taught us, I recognized it! It felt just like when Mom would hug me..."

Forcing his scowl off his face, Ichigo nodded, "But your mom isn't here."

"No...she hasn't been...not for a long time. And when I stopped focusing, I couldn't feel her anymore."

Leaning back, Ichigo tried to think of a reason Ruby could be feeling her mother's Aura, when the woman was presumably nowhere nearby. If she was even alive. He didn't like how vague the sisters were being about it. It reminded him far too much about his own mother.

_Wait._

His own mother...hadn't he just been thinking about how he could still feel Masaki's power on her box? That was because of how long she had the box, and the fact that objects tended to absorb power. At least enough to leave a certain signature behind, including the one he had taken advantage of to make him feel closer to his long-dead mother. If Ruby's cloak, the only thing he always saw her with, had done the same...well, it would make a lot more sense than her mother being nearby. Especially because she had said she only noticed when she focused, not when she didn't.

That sounded almost exactly like him feeling his mother's reiatsu from her box. Though he hadn't known Aura could do the same. That was new.

"Ruby...is that _your_ cloak?" Ichigo asked, admittedly a bit worried the question was too personal.

"Huh?" his leader asked, looking down on the red fabric, "Yeah...it used to be Mom's though..."

Yang chose that moment to jump in, "Mom left it for Ruby when she...left. My little sis here has kept it with her ever since. Why does that matter?"

In response, Ichigo pulled the box out from his pocket. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't trust them with this. He might not have even trusted Weiss or Blake. But Ruby and Yang were his first friends here...he trusted them with his life by now. So, as such...he slowly opened the box, revealing a bright silver cross pendant.

Carefully pulling the pendant out, Ichigo held it up so that the sisters could see it. The bright silver bore scratches in its otherwise pristine finish, and the blue gem at its center was cracked down _its_ center. His mother's Quincy cross...the way she had focused her power. The only thing he had left of the woman who had raised him, and who he mourned every day.

"This was my mother's," he explained, voice shaking despite his best efforts, "She used it to focus her...Semblance. Mom used it like that for years...it left an imprint on it. I can still sense her when I hold it and focus. If Ruby's cape was your mothers..."

The girl in question gasped, "I can feel Mom's Aura on my cloak?"

"I think so."

While Ruby started clutching her cloak closer to her body, rubbing the fabric absently with an awed look replacing her crying, Ichigo turned to her sister. Yang was looking like someone had punched _her_, as she looked at her sister. Walking next to her, Ichigo replaced Masaki's cross and patted the blonde on the shoulder. Starting like she had been slapped, Yang looked at her friend. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going through her head. The way she had her hand on her scroll made it clear something other than Ruby was. The question became..._what_ exactly was she thinking?

"Yang, something you aren't telling me?"

The girl scowled remarkably like him, "You first. If it's not too personal...why do you have your mother's cross?"

If it had been _anyone_ else, possibly including even Ruby, Ichigo wouldn't have answered that question. But he and Yang had a steady camaraderie that exceeded what he had with anyone else outside his family. He trusted her, where he probably wouldn't trust anyone else. So with a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Mom...she died, protecting me when I was nine. That's the reason my family moved to Vale...she didn't just die, she was murdered and we moved here to stay safe. Her cross is all I have left of her...nothing else."

After he finished saying that, Ichigo's eyes hardened.

"And one day, I'm going to kill the bastard who killed her."

To her credit, Yang didn't flinch back or make any motion of shock at the second thing Ichigo said. If anything, all she did was have her eyes soften as she placed a hand on _his_ shoulder, squeezing lightly. Lightly for her anyway, for anyone else it would have _hurt_ to have it done to. Luckily Ichigo wasn't most people.

"I can understand that," she spoke softly, "to answer your question though...our mom was named Summer Rose. She was the best mom you could ask for...fighting monsters and baking awesome cookies- there's a reason Ruby loves them so much. We both loved her, she was everything Ruby and I looked up to. But one day, she left on a mission...and never came back. We still don't know what happened to her...but Ruby was torn up by it. She always has Mom's old cloak because of that. Dad was just as torn up really..."

At that, the blonde paused, hurt coming into her voice.

"I didn't know why at the time, but I found out later. Mom wasn't the first love he lost. That...was my mom."

Ichigo blinked, putting two and two together, "Ruby's only your half-sister?"

"Technically," Yang glared at him, "But neither of us think about that. We're sisters through and through, and don't forget it!"

Holding up his hands, the shinigami smiled ruefully, "Gotcha. So, what about your mom?"

Yang sighed, "I don't know. Dad wouldn't talk about her a lot, and I don't remember her. All I know is she left soon after I was born, and hasn't been seen since. I don't know why, or how...just that she is gone. The thing is, one day...I found this."

As she said that, Yang pulled out her scroll, opening it up. A picture of a long-haired woman holding the hand of a small child appeared on the screen, the dark picture not giving many details. The details that were there were enough though...Ichigo could clearly tell the child was a young Yang, but the other woman was a mystery to him. He had never seen her before, though it would have surprised him if he had. That being said, if she had a picture...

"I was stupid," Yang broke into his thoughts, "when I found this, I thought I could finally find my Mom. So I bundled Ruby up in a wagon, and set off on my own when Dad was out on a mission. I must have walked for hours through that forest back on Patch...I was about to fall over, covered in scrapes and bruises. Then I found the old house, and I thought that Mom was going to be there, or at least another clue..."

As she said that, the blonde's voice definitely cracked, "But all I saw was those...glowing red eyes. Grimm...and there I was, a stupid girl too tired to call for help, and a toddler in the back of a wagon. We should have died that day...I would have gotten us both killed. Uncle Qrow was in the area on a mission though, and arrived just in time to save us. I still don't know how he knew we were there...but if he hadn't shown up, we'd be dead."

Finishing her story, Yang looked at Ichigo. Her eyes were clearly searching him for something, and it was almost enough to make him uncomfortable. Did she expect him to reprimand her? Hate her? He couldn't blame the girl for doing what she did. If she had just been a kid at the time, she wouldn't have known better. Didn't he walk to the river where his mom died before his old man brought the family to Remnant? Wanting to find your mother was as good a reason as any to do something. Was it stupid what she did? Probably. But still understandable to him.

"I swore that day that I wouldn't ever let my search control me," the blonde continued, evidently satisfied with what she saw, "but I still keep looking for answers. For both our Moms."

Ichigo looked at his friends, both hurt in different ways. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to help them either. But seeing the pain they both had...pain he knew well himself...how could he not at least try? There was no way to get Masaki back. But if he could help find Summer or Yang's Mom...wouldn't that be enough?

"Yang...Ruby...tomorrow, meet me outside Beacon."

"Huh?"

"What?"

The shinigami sighed heavily, "The old man's a doctor remember? If anyone might know what happened to your mothers...it'd be him. I'll take you to him tomorrow."

And he could only hope that wasn't a mistake...knowing Isshin Kurosaki...

* * *

**AN: Not _entirely_ satisfied here. But I think I did the best I could reasonably do. We get a bit more of Ichigo's backstory here. And we get the catalyst for the rest of the Arc...and for meeting the Kurosakis. _That_ is going to be fun.  
**

**I almost pity Ichigo.**

**Anyway, onto the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**Krazyfanfiction1, Drake D Zero, The Digger92, Fire of the Void, Kamencolin, Natzo, Telron, pltrgst, The Phoenix Wraith, Gravenimage, InvictusReaping, desdelor97, duskrider, Guest1, Guest2, Guest3, JJN37, Ranmaleopard: **Thanks for the reviews! Also, whoa...long review section is long.

**humbertorojo96:** Perhaps Ichigo should have curbstomped Torchwick. But the story becomes less interesting if he does, at least to me. Remember though, that was from Ruby's perspective, she might have missed something. That, and Aura means an attack that would have cut through a Bleach character is just going to make Roman weaker.

Quincy abilities with the Q!Zangetsu blade...possible, maybe. But I don't see it happening here or in canon. This is his Zanpakutō after all.

As for the sealed blade being on his back...that's done, much like with Toshiro, because the blade is too big to wear on his waist.

**Assault Godzilla:** Ichigo is going to have to dodge a lot of things. Cardin's still there after all.

Actual Hollows...not till after V3. The current plan is to start having more Bleach characters/Hollows showing up there. Including one rather specific one. Though, admittedly, I don't know how V3 will go...it might end up being between V2 and V3, depending on how the latter turns out.

Didn't actually know that Halo/Godzilla stuff. Good to know.

**The Megaevolved Pony:** Hmm...it is an interesting idea. Might be worth keeping in mind for the future, though I can't make any guarantees...certainly not at this early a stage.

**Guest 4: **Powerups most certainly. Though yes, I'm focusing less on the fights for the foreseeable future, and more on the interactions between the characters.

**FinalGuardian:** Should be fairly clear after this chapter really.

**liberty86:** Heh, the dance is going to be all sorts of fun. And yeah, until he finds out what's going on, Ichigo is going to have problems with Penny. Understandable problems, but still.

**lolperson2:** VL form could happen, depending on how things go when more Bleach stuff crops up. The Vandenreich though...I'm strongly debating if that will come into play or not. We'll see.

**Grinja:** Yeah, that's the main reason Torchwick wasn't creamed...we need him around. As for second question...well, this chapter probably qualifies to a certain extent.

**Chaos-Guard:** I've known about the pairing since I started, so not really anything to make up my mind on. Like I said though, it's going to be pretty well established by the end of this mini-arc.

**Ignisha:** She might have a crush, yes.

**Kragh50:** Yeah, I know. But we have to keep Mr. Cane around at least until the end of V2.

**Victinis Victory:** Might be hanging around, yes. But I'm not sure how to interact really beyond 'WTF, a dinosaur?!'.

**AN: Hopefully I didn't miss anyone there. 31 reviews...I still can't get over how popular this is. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter just as much! Next one will hopefully be on schedule too, but we'll see if I can keep it up.**

**Gotta love the final stretch of a college semester. Especially with an education major.**


	14. Meet the Kurosakis

**AN: Chapter ahoy. Barely on time, but I pulled it off still at least.  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

**"Kingy, as amusing as this is going to be, you sure ya know what yer doin?"**

_"For once, I do agree with him Ichigo."  
_

_"Hell,_ I _agree with Zangetsu. But...I promised I would do what I could to help them. I can't help Mom, but if I can help find their mothers...that's something right? Dad probably knows at least something. He treats Hunters and Huntresses all the time. One of them might know something."_

_"That is a very long shot."_

_"Maybe, but it's all I've got."  
_

Ichigo Kurosaki sighed as he walked down the streets of Vale. Ruby and Yang were behind him, chattering away about something or other. At least they had recovered from yesterday well enough. Though he knew part of that was because he was offering to help find _both_ of their mothers. If what Yang had said was true, it had only been her looking before now. It was little wonder they were happy about his help really. Ichigo himself on the other hand...while he was glad he could help, he _really_ wasn't looking forward to getting home. Seeing the family was nice, well, seeing his sisters was anyway. His father though...

There was a _very_ large part of him that dreaded the sisters meeting Isshin Kurosaki. That was not going to go well, and that was the understatement of the century.

And, of course, the fact that his father was a doctor had just been the first thing that came to mind. They were probably expecting medical records or something of the sort. Ichigo wasn't bringing them there for that reason though. He sincerely hoped the old man had heard something about missing huntresses at some point. It wasn't really _likely_, but as a doctor, he would hear gossip from wounded fighters all the time. If anyone would know what happened outside the Kingdoms...it would be them. And by extension, Isshin. He could only hope this wasn't a waste of time.

"Hey Ichigo?" Yang broke into his thoughts.

"Huh?" the shinigami looked over his shoulder.

"How many sisters do you have anyway?"

Ichigo opened and closed his mouth, as he realized he hadn't actually mentioned that before. Just that he _had_ sisters.

"Two," he answered, "Karin and Yuzu are twins, a few years younger than me. Couldn't find two twins less like each other if you looked though."

"Really?" Ruby asked curiously.

A nod answered that, "Yup. You'll see when we get there."

"And _when_ will we get there?"

Sending a look at the older sister, Ichigo sighed, "Just another block. The old man wanted to be near the edge to help hunters or huntresses...but not so close to make it dangerous."

"Sounds like a good guy."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah! I like people who help others like that."

All Ichigo could do was shake his head sadly. They had no idea what to really expect out of Isshin Kurosaki. The sisters were certainly going to be in for a shock. The teenager knew that much, since he couldn't even feel his father's reiatsu. And the only reason that the old fool would be hiding his energy...would be because _he_ had sensed Ichigo's teammates. Fool or no fool, the former Captain could sense someone coming from a mile away even if they were trying to hide.

As none of the members of team RWBIY were trying to hide...

"Is that your house?"

The teen sighed slightly when Ruby asked that question. The clinic looked nothing like the one in Karakura had...but his father had still stuck a big sign over the door anyway. The only real difference there was that it wasn't in Japanese. It was still very noticeable, even from a block away however. So too was the increasing dread in Ichigo's chest. This was going to be...fun.

**"Have fun Kingy!"** Zangetsu enjoyed his discomfort.

Sighing again, Ichigo walked to the door of his home. Ruby and Yang looked at him curiously when he didn't knock or open the door immediately however. Instead, he motioned them to the side of the door, and then stood out of its opening angle himself. Pulling Zangetsu off his back, the teen used his Zanpakutō to knock the door, quickly retracting the blade as he did.

"Ichigo?" Yang asked dubiously, only for him to hold up a finger to silence her as...

"ICHIIIGGOOOO!"

...Isshin Kurosaki came flying out of the door, feet first in a flying kick. Ichigo sighed once more, facepalming. The sisters just blinked rapidly, Yang's jaw dropping as Ruby just looked confusedly between Ichigo and the crater in the street that was his father's landing site.

"Uhhh..." the blonde sister gaped.

"Um...why did he do that?" Ruby added.

"Because he's an idiot?" Ichigo deadpanned.

"How dare you call your dear father that!" Isshin snapped to his feet at the word 'idiot', ignoring the blood flowing down his face, "and you have explaining to do my son!"

"Here we go..." the teenager in question sounded resigned to his fate as his father ran at him.

"Why haven't you sent any mail?" the Kurosaki patriarch ranted, "I haven't heard anything since you got a team! Your sisters have wanted to know what you're doing! Not to mention..."

At this, Isshin flung his arm out, pointing at the still-gaping sisters.

"You have two beautiful women with you?! I think I deserved to know when my son finally became a ma..."

The meaty sound of Ichigo's fist impacting his father's face ended that line of conversation. Isshin went flying back through the open door, as Ichigo held his slightly smoking fist up. His face was redder than Ruby's cloak, as he glared at the crumpled figure of his father in the house. For their parts, the sisters could hardly believe their eyes. Not that the shinigami blamed them. His father was...unique. Well, uniquely annoying anyway. What father would act like that around their son?

Of course, they also had the whole problem that they only knew what he had told them of the man. That Isshin Kurosaki had trained the teenager, and was probably the strongest fighter he knew. His first appearance...didn't really lend much to that.

"Ichigo," Yang finally spoke up, "Your father is crazy."

"I know."

Ruby just started giggling, "I think that was hilarious! The way he was all 'yah!' and jumped out the door! And he didn't even flinch!"

Ichigo couldn't quite hold back a chuckle, "Yeah, well, the old man is made of iron. That's not even Aura...he's just that damn tough."

"Whoa..."

Yang just shook her head in clear amusement now, "No wonder _you're_ so tough then."

The other teen just shrugged, before an honest-to-god smile crossed his face. The source was readily obvious, when two other figures appeared in the doorway in front of the moaning Isshin. More specifically, two young girls no older than 13 or 14. Polar opposites in looks and personality, Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki both had grins on their faces however. Even the usually stoic Karin was naturally excited that her older brother was back. Ichigo had been gone for months now, so it was only reasonable.

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu was even _less_ reserved, as she ran up and wrapped her arms around the older teenager.

"Hey Yuzu," Ichigo returned the hug, getting on his knees to look his sister in her eyes. The one area they had yet to _really_ change was in height...both the twins were still fairly significantly shorter than he was, "Have you and Karin been keeping the old man in line?"

"Normally," Karin chimed in dryly, looking back at the moaning pile of shinigami Captain, "he got away from me today."

"Of course he did," her brother shook his head, "Anyway, these are two of my teammates. Ruby, Yang...these are my sisters, Karin and Yuzu."

"Nice to meet ya," Yang grinned, patting Ichigo on the shoulder, "We've been keeping your brother out of trouble."

Ichigo's brow went up, "More like getting me _into_ trouble."

"You wound me Ichigo."

Giggles came from the younger sister, "Those two...it's nice to meet you two! Ichigo hasn't told us much though."

"Because you've wormed all my special techniques out of me."

It wasn't just Ruby giggling now. Yuzu was barely holding back her laughter, especially at the deadpan look Ichigo was wearing. Even Karin was smirking, as sure a sign as any that she was amused. For his part, Ichigo just sighed and looked at all the girls. At least they seemed to be getting along well. That was a relief on its own to be sure...there had been part of him worried they wouldn't get along. Which would have been the last thing he needed, since managing his idiot of a father was going to be hard enough.

At least if all the sisters got along, that solved part of the problem. Come to think of it actually...

**"Kingy? Ya just noticed didn't ya?"**

_"Yeah."_

While the girls were giggling, Ichigo noticed something amusing to _him_. They were total opposites. Karin was the most like Yang, minus the flirting, but she had dark hair like Ruby. While Yuzu was the most like Ruby, but had lighter hair like Yang. Somewhat ironic that.

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu finally stopped laughing, "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Blake and Weiss are back at Beacon," Ichigo scratched his neck, "They didn't need to come with us."

"At least you've got one guy with you," Karin didn't even try to hide her amusement in her voice.

"One gu..." Ruby asked, before she smacked her forehead, "Blake's not a guy silly!"

The older Kurosaki sibling facepalmed and started mentally counting down until...

"Your entire team are girls?!" Yuzu sounded extremely shocked by that revelation, "Then how do you sleep Ichi-nii?"

"Very carefully."

Karin snickered, "I'll bet. Must be hard spending all your time with four girls eh Ichigo?"

Needless to say, the teenager didn't bother replying to _that_. It was just Karin being herself. Besides, Yuzu looked about ready to burst anyway, better to not feed _that_ fire. Especially considering one of the things he could say about his living conditions was the fact that Yang liked teasing him. It wasn't an understatement to say that Ichigo did _not_ want his sisters knowing that Yang's favorite thing to do was embarrass the ever-loving hell out of him. Not that she wasn't attractive, but that didn't mean he wanted to see her getting dressed.

**"Deny it all you want Kingy but you know you like it!"**

And, after all, he got enough of that from Zangetsu. He hardly needed his sisters getting in on the 'fun'. Or his father for that matter. Oh god...Isshin finding out about his living conditions. That was going to _suck_ on just about every level. Nothing for it though...it _had_ been his choice to do this, and the teen had to stick to his guns in that regard. Better to just get it over with before he regretted the choice even more.

"Why are you here anyway though?" Karin broke in, a thoughtful look on her face.

"He volunteered to help us!" Ruby replied excitedly, "Your brother's so nice!"

Yuzu grinned at that, "Ichi-nii has always been like that. What is he helping you with?"

"I'd rather talk about that inside," Yang answered for the others.

Ichigo knew exactly why she said that. The blonde was still uncomfortable about anyone knowing her situation. Saying it outside was certainly not going to help in _that_ regard. Not at all.

"Okay," the youngest Kurosaki nodded, "I'll get some food made. I can make your favorite curry Ichi-nii!"

A growl game from the tall teenager, who looked down sheepishly, "Thanks Yuzu."

Making a point of ignoring the giggles from his teammates and the smirk on Karin's face, Ichigo lead the sisters into the house. He also ignored the moaning pile of Isshin Kurosaki sitting in the entrance way, moving right past him. It was time to get to work, and he knew the old fool would stop playing around eventually. His father was an idiot, but he knew how to be serious when the occasion called for it...

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

_This is...fun._

If there was one thing that Yang could say about the Kurosaki family, it was...unique. She knew Ichigo as well as her own sister by this point, and wasn't really surprised by anything _he_ did anymore. His family though, that was a different story. His sisters were nice enough at least. Yuzu reminded her of Ruby in a way, if a bit less hyper and softer, if she had to use a word. Oddly more mature than a good chunk of people her own age too, and she could say for a fact that the way she cooked impressed the hell out of her. That had been some of the best food the blonde had eaten in months, and she was younger than Ruby!

Karin, on the other hand, reminded her of a female Ichigo. If any member of his family acted like _him_\- and by extension how she would expect -it was the dark-haired sister. She had the same deadpan sense of humor as her brother, and seemed to act as the control valve when he wasn't around. Yuzu was kind, her sister was hard. That being said, Yang probably got along with her better than her sister. They had similar interests once she found out the younger girl studied martial arts. Something about 'showing her brother up'.

Isshin though...

"Ichigo! Stop ignoring your dear father!"

...was certainly not what she had imagined.

"Seriously, what's with him?" Yang whispered to the middle-Kurosaki, who smirked in reply.

"Goat-Chin's always been like this. I barely remember when Mom was around, but she kept him in line back then. Nowadays, he's more of a child than we are."

"He's nothing like Ichigo, that's for sure."

"No one really is," Karin nodded slightly, "Ichigo's one of a kind. I think you know that though."

Yang's eyebrow went up, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

A shrug answered her.

"I'm not blind y'know. Ichigo's a lot more comfortable around you than...anyone really, outside of Yuzu and I. Who knows what you did, but he trusts you."

The blonde felt an unfamiliar flush crawl up her cheeks. Normally it was _her_ making people blush, not the other way around.

"Don't let Yuzu see you do that," it didn't help that Karin was rather more easily amused than her older brother, "she'll make you promise not to hurt him or something."

"We're not together."

Karin just sent a dubious expression at the blonde, "Suurrre..."

Luckily for the blonde's face, the conversation was drawn back to the Kurosaki _males_. More specifically, drawn back to Ichigo punching his father into the wall. Yang had missed what he said, but judging from the fact Ruby's face was flaming more than _hers_ and Yuzu was looking at her brother with a suspicious look, she didn't have to guess _what_ it had been. She knew her sister wasn't interested in Ichigo that way- okay, maybe there was a crush but nothing else -but that didn't mean she couldn't be embarrassed by it...

"Ruby?" Yang asked, "What just happened?"

"I...I..." her sister stuttered.

"Goat-chin," Ichigo replied, borrowing _his_ sister's nickname, "Decided to make perverted jokes."

At the mention of him, Isshin sprung back up like he _hadn't_ just been punched into a wall, "All I said was that you and your sister are my new daughters! And that it's about time Ichigo got to work on making Grandchil...urghk..."

Isshin trailed off as _Yang's_ fist went into his gut. The blonde looked down, looked at Ichigo, and then looked down again. Smiling sheepishly, she backed away from the eldest Kurosaki, who crumpled to the floor. There was silence for a second, before Karin started clapping slowly. Ruby looked torn between laughing and hiding in her cloak from embarrassment, while Yuzu just looked at her father worriedly. Ichigo...he started laughing. Real, heartfelt laughter too, not his typical 'I'm amused see?' laugh either.

"Damn Yang, I was going to do that," the oranghead mock complained.

"I figured it was okay since you said he's made of iron," the blonde shrugged, justifying the impulsive punch in her head, "Speaking of which..._damn_ that hurt. I see what you mean."

Shaking her hand to get feeling back into it, Yang sat back down. And felt like facepalming, as Isshin crawled over to the wall. More specifically, to a massive poster on said wall. The woman depicted on it was beautiful, her long brown-orange hair and wide smile giving her a very pretty look. Yang didn't have to be a genius to know who it was either...that had to be Ichigo's mother. She looked kinda like Yuzu, and the hair was similar in color to Ichigo's.

"Masaki, our children are so cruel to me!" Isshin cried into the poster.

"That's just a poster..." Yang deadpanned.

Karin snorted, "Tell that to him."

Luckily for the visitors, Ichigo wasn't in the mood to let his father _really_ get going on his whining, "Pops, get over here and stop with that. I didn't just come here for no reason...I need help."

The moment he said that, Isshin's tears stopped and he turned around. Yang blinked, as the goofy face was replaced by a serious one. It was like night and day...and more resemblance to Ichigo was in that serious frown than anything she had seen yet from the idiot of a father.

"I'm listening," Isshin spoke, his voice every bit as serious.

In response, Ichigo turned to Yang, "This is where you come in."

Sighing slightly, Yang sat next to _her_ sister. Better to have Ruby next to her as she went over this. It was still a fresh wound even years later, and she was going to be telling it to three new people at once. And as nice- if odd -as the Kurosaki family was, she still didn't _know_ them outside the son of the family. At least Ichigo was there to provide backup if she needed it. And the blonde really was thankful for that...she wouldn't lie. Having support was something she wasn't really used to, at least on this subject.

In any case, it was time to begin talking. And so she did, telling the exact same story about her mother(s) as she had told Ichigo. Ruby grabbed onto her hand, as much for her own comfort as Yang's. Squeezing her sister's hand reassuringly, the blonde noticed something as she talked. The normally sarcastic Karin had a hurt look in her eyes. Yuzu looked on the verge of tears. And Isshin Kurosaki was looking progressively more and more serious.

By the time she finished, the Kurosaki Family hardly resembled what it had looked like when they were goofing around.

"That..." Isshin spoke up after Yang stopped talking, "I can see why my son would want to help you. Not so much why he would bring you here, but hey, Ichigo has his moments where I question if he's really my son."

"Low blow," the teen in question grumbled.

Isshin just grinned in his typical goofy style, before dropping it as he turned back to the sisters, "That being said, I can do whatever is within my ability to help you two out. You're family...even if Ichigo hasn't acted on anything yet because he's an idiot."

"Will you stop before I smash your mouth in?" Ichigo complained, his own face heating up now.

Yang couldn't hold back the laugh at that look, "Thanks...I think."

"No problem third daughter," Isshin smirked, "anyway, I can look through my records...if you could give me an idea of what I'm looking for. I might have treated your mother's at some point. Amnesia could have made them forget _who_ they were."

Seeing this serious side to the Kurosaki patriarch was quite odd after the goofiness that Yang had come to associate him with. She wasn't quite sure how to react, as she opened her scroll and showed him _the_ picture, along with a photo of Summer. Even though she had to resist the strong urge to punch his face in for the daughter comment.

"Hmm..." the older man nodded, "Okay. I'll look through my files, and contact anyone who might have seen them. Ichigo!"

The teenager sighed, "Yes?"

"Show the girls to your room."

Ichigo scowled, "Wait, _my_ room? We have a guest room."

Isshin cocked his head in a confused manner, "But wouldn't you want them staying with you? Don't fail me now my son! I want grandbabi..."

And this time, Yang didn't even question her fist slamming into the man's chest. Or Ichigo's hitting him in the face at the exact same time.

"Yang!" Ruby chastised her, "He's just being...nice..."

Karin shrugged, "Eh, I would have done it too. Goat-Chin makes me want to bury my head and hide sometimes."

"Sometimes I feel like killing him," Ichigo agreed, shaking his head as his cheeks flamed red, "Damn pervert. Anyway, I'll show you two to the _guest_ room. We'll get that set up for the night. You'll probably have to share the bed though."

"That's not a problem, right Ruby?" Yang replied, purposely ignoring the moaning Isshin.

The girl nodded quickly, "No, it's not a problem! We're sisters after all!"

"There we go," the orangehead nodded, "follow me."

Leaving the moaning Isshin on the ground with Karin poking him while Yuzu looked torn between following her brother and helping her father, Yang reflected on her experiences. Meeting Ichigo's family had been nothing like what she had expected going into it. They were nice, but it was apparent that he and his sisters were the 'normal' ones. Considering how _odd_ Ichigo was at times, that was seriously saying something. His father was just that weird. A perverted old man who didn't seem to have a serious bone in his _very_ tough body. But when something serious _did_ come up, looked and acted so much like Ichigo that it was eery.

He had offered to help her and Ruby without once questioning it. She could see now where Ichigo got his helpful/protective instincts from at least. That, and she was _very_ thankful he didn't take after his father in other ways. Yang shuddered at the thought of a younger Isshin staying in the same room as the rest of team RWBIY. That would have been a disaster waiting to happen. At least Ichigo was...

"Here we go."

Blinking, the blonde noticed they were standing at the open door of a sizable room. There was a decent sized bed, dresser and closet...almost like a motel room. The Kurosaki family wasn't totally loaded like Weiss, but they clearly weren't poor at least. And after sleeping a Beacon bed for months...the soft fabric she saw looked quite inviting.

"I'll let you two get settled in. I'll be helping the old man out...make sure he keeps on track," Ichigo continued, moving to leave.

Ruby shot past him, jumping onto the bed and bouncing on it, "Yang! This bed is awesome!"

"I'm sure it is sis," the blonde grinned, "Don't mess it up before I get in there."

Once she said that, Yang turned away and grabbed Ichigo's arm before he could get away from her. He blinked rapidly, looking at her hand on his arm. Pulling back quickly, the blonde looked at Ichigo's eyes. They had a confused look, not uncommon when it came to her...she knew that much.

"Thanks for this Ichigo," Yang spoke truthfully, her voice softer than normal, "You didn't have to do this."

Ichigo just shrugged, "Nah, I did. I can't help Mom...the least I can do is help you find yours. It really isn't a problem...other than the old man, but that had to happen eventually."

"Yeah, hopefully I don't beat him senseless before I leave," Yang smirked, "But seriously...thanks. I'll pay you back one of these days."

And as she left a quiet Ichigo behind, Yang wasn't joking. She _would_ find a way to pay Ichigo back for this. It was the least she could do, for possibly the best friend she had.

* * *

**AN: Phew, barely made the deadline here. I'm about to pass out actually. Which might reflect in the quality here...I'm not entirely satisfied with the chapter. I hope everyone still enjoyed it though! **

**Acknowledging how darn tired I am, I'll keep the AN brief too...all I can say is: 39 REVIEWS! I didn't expect that much attention for the last chapter. I really hope I didn't disappoint here...**

**Reviews:**

**AlastorGodofVengeance, PersonaQeminod1, Gravenimage, Kragh50, yiggdrasill, Chaos-Guard, Ignisha, xbox432, Dosudro, Theburper, duskrider, brandon64012, desdelor97, Telron, Guest1, Guest2, Hollow Saigo No Getsuga Tensho, Manga154, Xavier, Kamencolin, .1291, Antex-The Legendary Zorark: **Thanks for the reviews! Also, very long review section that...

**humbertorojo96:** Ichigo ain't messing around here, really. He's very angry about Masaki.

**Exanime Draco:** It's somewhat explained in this chapter. But as far as Ichigo was thinking...he wasn't. He latched onto a way to help, without really thinking it through.

**Seigogerman:** Yeah, it'll be described better...when he gets around to admitting what he really is.

**Grinja: **Thanks! I think it's the least I can do to reply really, when people take their time to read the story and leave comments.

**Akujiki:** Not until after V3 at the earliest I'm afraid.

**The Megaevolved Pony:** Interesting idea, but I'm overloaded with writing as is...sorry...

**Fifth Horseman: **Glad to see you back!

Yeah, the VL form is something that wouldn't end well if he needs to break it out.

Kisuke is naturally going to be among the first popping back up. The Vizard or Yoruichi...that's an interesting one.

**ThatGuy:** Depends on if I include the VR or not. Still debating that.

**JWhuker:** It's meant to be weak. Ichigo didn't think it through well, and remember, that was from his perspective.

**correnhimself316:** The Vandenreich is, were they to even pop up, not for a _loooonnnggg_ time. If they even are included.

**P-and-P:** It's not really noted in the chapter, but the cracked gem? The pendant can't focus properly anymore.

**Rakaan:** I hope what we ended up with worked.

**AN: I'm still in shock at the amount of reviews...thanks everyone! I apologize if I missed anyone...like I said, running on empty so to speak. If so, let me know and I'll send a PM your way if it's something you need to have answered.**

**And now, I sleep. And post the chapter, that too.**


	15. Sparring

**AN: Sorry for the slight delay. I'm done with school work though, aside from final studying. So hopefully it won't happen again...though _that_ depends on my summer job. Anyway, it's still technically Friday, so on with the chapter!  
**

**Also, I can't believe we're only one chapter away from 100k words...for only 16 chapters! Not to mention almost at 450 reviews...whoa.**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

This day had been...less than fun for Ichigo Kurosaki. He had known his father would be an idiot, but the old man continued to defy all expectations sometimes. Implying that he was doing...things...with the sisters. Not that he wasn't close to them, and not that Yang wasn't attractive...but the point remained! Especially when it came to Ruby, who he really did see more as a little sister than anything else. She reminded him _way_ too much of Yuzu for anything else to be there. Needless to say, the fact his father tried implying anything else _really_ set off his temper. And Yang's for that matter...he still got a chuckle out of the way she had punched the old man. Just like him really...didn't put up with his nonsense. Only Yuzu really did.

That being said, at least he was still able to act serious when he needed to.

"I wonder if he'll find anything," Ichigo muttered, laying back on his bed as he stared at his ceiling.

The shinigami didn't know if he really expected his father to find anything on his friend's mother(s). But he could hope there would be something to find at least, since otherwise this was a colossal waste of time. And while he could care less about that himself- it wasn't like he could complain about being home -it would annoy him to have subjected his friends to the Kurosaki brand of insanity for no reason. At least they got along with his sisters...that was something to be happy about. Now if only Goat Chin would act...

"Ichigo?"

Speak of the devil...and you shall be surprised he doesn't just fly into the room in a flying kick.

"What's up?" the teenager replied, noting the serious look on his father's face.

Isshin sighed, as he sat down in the chair across from the bed, "I noticed you are close to those two."

"Considering you wouldn't shut up about it...yes."

"Of course I'm not going to shut up about my son finally finding women," the elder Kurosaki scoffed.

All Ichigo did in response was turn onto his side, electing to ignore his father until he sobered up.

Something that happened surprisingly quickly, "Ichigo, I'm happy for you."

"Wait, what?"

Turning back over, the teenager blinked at the serious look on his father's face. It wasn't like he hadn't seen such a look before, but this was different. It wasn't his 'Captain' look as Ichigo had coined it years ago. It wasn't a normal look from his father at all. If anything, it was like a mix of pride and happiness, all wrapped up in a serious shell.

It was kinda freaky, to be honest.

"Is it that hard to believe your dear father is happy for you?" aaannndd now he was back in form, "Ichigo, you haven't had a friend since we got here. Part of that was my fault, keeping you here to train you. But I can tell you haven't been happy about that, at all. You missed Tatsuki, and I didn't do anything to help that."

"...I..."

Isshin held a hand up, the sober expression not leaving his face, "I'm sorry I put you through that. But I'm just as happy you've finally found friends. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happ_ier_ because those friends are all female, but hey, it's in the Kurosaki genes to be popular with the women!"

"...I knew there was a catch," Ichigo sighed, flopping back on his pillow, "Thanks though."

"Not a problem," Isshin's goofy grin was back.

There was silence after that however, the two Kurosaki men lost in their own thoughts. Or at least Ichigo was...god only knew what was going through the old man's head. Scratch that, he didn't _want_ to know what went on in that mess of a brain. It'd probably drive him crazier than Zangetsu. And _that_ was saying something. Leaving those thoughts aside though, he really _did_ appreciate the random things his father had just said. Ichigo would never admit it, certainly not to the man himself...but he _had_ been happier than he could remember being in years.

Ruby, Yang, Blake...hell, even Weiss...all of them made him feel better. Sure he grumbled a lot about having to teach them all the time. But he really _did _enjoy doing it. Having no one to talk to but his family and Zanpakutō made for a somewhat lonely life. His friends changed that. And even Ichigo could admit that, even if it was sentimental crap that he most _certainly_ would never say aloud.

"So, how much have you taught them?" Isshin's voice broke into his thoughts once more.

"Eh?" Ichigo almost kicked himself for _that_ eloquent reply.

"I'm not blind my son!" Isshin shot back, his voice light, though his eyes were serious, "I know I told you to not tell anyone about our abilities unless you had to. But I can tell well enough that you've taught them at least something. The Aura on those girls feels much more like reiatsu than a normal one."

"...they forced me into it?"

Isshin barked out a laugh, his head falling back as he chuckled like a madman. Ichigo, for his part, just returned to his typical scowl.

"I don't doubt _that_," the Kurosaki patriarch got out, wiping a tear from his eye, "you're whipped my boy!"

Ichigo sighed and facepalmed, "Shut it you old pervert."

"No denial I notice," Isshin smirked, "I was serious though. What _exactly_ have you taught them?"

Sighing again, Ichigo began talking, "Not much. When they saw my Shikai during the initiation- seriously, those Nevermore are tough bastards -Ruby practically begged me to tell her how to do it. The others ganged up on me, and I had to make _something_ up. So I just told them I merged my Aura with Zangetsu and that's how I did it."

The elder Kurosaki nodded, "Not necessarily a lie. Did they do it?"

"Yup. Ruby was the first, but the others didn't take long to do it. I'm still not sure _what_ the hell they did, but their weapons are binded to them now. Zangetsu says they aren't Zanpakutō, but...it's odd."

_That_ was an understatement. Ichigo played it cool, but he still had no real idea what was going on with his friends and their powers. The way they had merged their Aura with their weapons _shouldn't_ have happened. It was certainly nothing he had ever seen any other Hunter or Huntress pull off. It was confusing to say the least, considering it most certainly wasn't supposed to work that way. It was almost like a merging of shinigami powers and Aura, and that was _naturally _going to confuse him. Considering it shouldn't have been possible, and all that.

Not to mention the almost Shikai like abilities that all of them but Weiss had developed. Yang's fire fists...Blake's pseudo-Getsuga, Ruby's...whatever it was she did. Zangetsu was the most freaked out by those specific changes, since they really _were_ like a Shikai of sorts. Not exactly like one, but similar enough to warrant worry. Just like everything else they had learned from him really.

Isshin frowned as Ichigo explained that situation, "Huh. That's new."

"That's all you've got?" Ichigo complained.

"Pretty much," his father shrugged, "I never was good at the real science behind our powers. Aura just makes it worse."

"You're a real help."

The elder man just shrugged again, getting to his feet, "Whatever you say Ichigo. Now, get some sleep...I'm testing you tomorrow while you're here!"

"_Why_ did I see that coming?"

"Because I have to keep you on your toes my son!"

And with that, Isshin left before his son could hit him with something. Flopping back down with another long-suffering sigh, Ichigo looked at the ceiling.

"Damn, that was weird."

Even for his father, that had been...off. Ichigo could never claim to truly understand his father. But that had made very little sense even for him. Come in and say he was proud of him making friends...and then go onto a tangent about the powers? What was he up to...

Because there wasn't a chance in hell his father was acting randomly. He may _act_ that way, but Ichigo knew better. For all that the man acted the fool, he _did_ have a great head on his shoulders.

**"Weird or not, if he's gonna test you he's probably gonna test the others too," **Zangetsu chimed in.

_"Indeed."_

All Ichigo could do was scowl at that thought, "They're not ready to be tested by the old man."

**"Nope,"** the Hollow agreed, **"Great fighters for what they are, but they ain't ready. Granted, neither are _you_ Kingy."**

"Hey!"

The Quincy spoke up at that, _"He is correct Ichigo. Despite all the training and sparring we have done, your father is still far beyond your ability."_

There was really little point in denying that. Isshin Kurosaki could lead his son in circles when he wanted to. Ichigo was no weakling, and knew well how to fight against a shinigami thanks to his father's training. But the man was _that_ much better. Centuries of experience outweighed the natural talent and somewhat absurd power advancement that the younger Kurosaki possessed. Really, spars with his father tended to amount to Ichigo getting his ass handed to him within short order. If only because Isshin knew how he fought, and had the skill to exploit that advantage _mercilessly_. The joke fights the two got up to were _not_ an indication of what the man could really do when he let loose, not at all.

And if _Ichigo_ could hardly keep up with his father when the man was serious, his friends would be _way_ in over their heads.

"Man, Yang's gonna kill me," Ichigo groaned, placing an arm over his eyes.

**"I dunno, she'd probably like the challenge. Like she likes you."**

"I'm just going to ignore that last part."

**"Wimp."**

"Pervert."

**"Asshole."**

The argument didn't get far before the Quincy portion of the Zanpakutō interrupted the pair, _"Enough. I do agree that Yang is likely to enjoy the opportunity to spar with a new fighter. Ruby as well, though I believe she will be far more interested in Engetsu. But, for all that, we have another problem."_

"What now?"

Ichigo could be forgiven for the tone he took on. He had a _lot_ on his plate as it was after all, adding more was going to annoy _anyone_ to some extent or another. Especially considering part of the teen _did_ just want to get to sleep already. Especially now that he knew what was coming tomorrow.

_"Whatever your father discovers on their mothers."_

"Why would that be a problem?"

_"If he discovers that one of them may be amnesiac,"_ Zangetsu began, _"we may find Summer or Yang's mother and they would not remember their daughters. On the other hand, father may discover they are lost outside the Kingdom somewhere, from the gossip of another Hunter or Huntress. And neither Ruby nor Yang are ready to leave the Kingdom as of yet, even with the training you have given them."_

That...could indeed be a problem.

"Man, things are never easy are they?"

Zangetsu snorted, **"Kingy, if things were easy they would be _boring_. And y'know what I do when I get bored."**

The teenager scowled, "Don't remind me. I'm going to sleep now."

At least while he was asleep the teenager could relax. Because part of him dreaded what was going to come with the morning...on more than one level, at that.

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

"GOOOODDDDD MOOOORRRRINNNNGGG ICHIGO!"

"What the hell! I'm home for one day and you're already doing this?!"

"That's no way to welcome your father!"

"Jumping me in my sleep is no way to welcome your son you bastard!"

"Language Ichigo!"

"_Shut up!_"

Blinking her eyes sleepily, Ruby sat up in the unfamiliar bed, her mind taking a second to remember where she was. Ichigo's home, looking for her mother. But it hadn't been Yang that woke her up, or an alarm clock. In fact, her sister was still snoring away...being a heavy sleeper like she was. What _had_ woken her up was the sound of fighting from the room next door. In any other situation that might have warranted a worried look from the team leader. She didn't like fighting if it wasn't against Grimm or criminals. But this situation was hardly like either of those. All it got out of Ruby Rose was...

...giggles. Fighting her hardest to hold them back, Ruby planted a hand over her mouth as she shook in the bed. She didn't want to wake her sister up by accident. But it was so funny! Now that she knew what to expect, the way Ichigo and his father play fought was extremely amusing. The older Kurosaki was nothing like his son, and that just made it all the funnier.

"I see you're up too," a voice spoke dryly from the door.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, looking towards the voice. Karin Kurosaki stood in the door, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. She was cocking her head towards the sound of the fighting, an amused look on her face.

"It's hard not to be woken up by that," the dark-haired girl continued, "Goat-Chin sure does love attacking Ichigo."

"It's funny," Ruby nodded, "But why does he do it?"

"Who knows?" Karin shrugged, "he'd probably call it 'family bonding' or something. Come on, they'll stop eventually...Yuzu's got breakfast ready."

At those words, Ruby was jumping out of the bed, sending her sister falling to the floor with a sleepy groan. Yuzu Kurosaki's cooking was some of _the_ best the young Huntress had ever had. She was hardly going to say no to more of it!

For her part, Yang stuck her head over the side of the bed, her long hair thoroughly messed up, "Where's the fire?"

"Breakfast!" her sister replied, practically bouncing on her feet.

Yang blinked slowly, "You're that eager for breakfast? And why do I hear fighting?"

"Yuzu's food is _amazing_!"

"That's Ichigo and Goat-Chin. They _always_ do this."

The older sister just looked between the other two girls, before shaking her head and flopping it down onto the bed, "It's too early for this."

Giggling at her sister, Ruby walked with Karin out of the room. Yang was just being herself, she'd be out soon enough. Besides, she wanted to see what Ichigo and his father were _really _doing. It sounded like it was really destructive for a play fight! Then again...where Ichigo was concerned, any fight ended up somewhat destructive. He didn't do anything small when it came to fighting, not at all. Isshin seemed much more goofy than good at fighting himself.

But Ichigo had sworn up and down that his father taught him how to fight. So there had to be _something_ he could do.

"Take that!"

"Oohh...the Kurosaki side kick! Well-done my son!"

Ruby ducked on instinct as the body of Isshin Kurosaki went flying over her head. Karin, slightly shorter than even Ruby, didn't even bother. She just yawned and looked up at the flying father.

"Old fool," Ichigo grumbled, walking into view. He looked distinctly annoyed, hair sticking up in random spots almost as bad as Yang's.

"Sorry Ichigo," Karin chimed in, "didn't expect him to do that."

The teenager waved a hand, "Eh, no problem. I'm used to it by now...man, that sounds bad."

"It kinda does," Yang agreed, holding a yawn back as she proved her sister right, "and I thought _our_ dad was odd. Right Ruby?"

Blinking at the sudden attention, Ruby felt a flush crawl up her face. Fighting it down, she instead nodded quickly. Dad _was_ odd, to be fair. Not like Isshin was, but then, Ruby would be a bit scared if there _was_ someone else out there like Ichigo's father. At least her own father just had an odd sense of humor and sent strange things in the mail. It could be a lot worse really. Such as...

"Ichigo! Stop chatting with the pretty girls and help your father up!" Isshin called out, currently hanging from where his face had impacted the wall.

"You realize I'm here too right?" Karin spoke up.

"You're pretty too Karin-chan! Now help daddy down!"

Mouthing 'Karin-chan' at her sister, Ruby couldn't help but giggle again. The sight was just too funny _not_ to giggle. Even Ichigo was holding back a laugh! And making precisely zero effort towards helping his father down. For her part, Karin just rolled her eyes and walked right past the older man. Yang shook her head, laughing herself as she ducked under a swinging foot to follow the dark-haired Kurosaki sibling. Ruby followed _her_ sister, figuring that Ichigo would eventually help his father down. After all, he _was_ his father!

Sadly, she underestimated just how annoyed Ichigo was with his parent. As such, Ichigo followed _her_, totally ignoring his complaining father. Granted, the smell of food might have had something to do with that. Ruby didn't know _what_ it was that Yuzu was making, but the smell alone was enough to make her mouth water. Because it smelled _amazing._ Like cookies, but even _better_!

"Your sister is so good at cooking Ichigo!" the leader gushed at her friend.

Ichigo just smiled, "Yeah, Yuzu's great at cooking. Always has been...good thing too, since the old man can't cook to save his life."

There was a faint 'I heard that!' from the direction of said patriarch at those words. Ruby grinned at Ichigo, who couldn't hold back a snort.

"I meant what I said old man!" the teen shouted back.

Ignoring anything else from his father, Ichigo turned to the sisters, "After we're done eating, you two need to follow me. Goat-Chin over there wants to test all of us."

"Test us?" Ruby asked curiously as she sat down.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Yang added.

A sigh answered that question, "He's testing me too. Think he just wants to see what Beacon teaches. Not that it isn't annoying."

He may say that, but Ruby saw the thoughtful look cross her sister's face. And she knew Yang well enough to know what _that_ look meant. Something confirmed when her sister started to talk again.

"Then again...I did want to see how he fought."

And part of Ruby couldn't deny that she wanted to as well...

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"Okay...I thought your family was weird before Ichigo."

"It is."

"But _this_?! Underneath the city?!"

"That's also about what I expected."

Ruby couldn't stop the grin that crossed her face, "This is awesome! No wonder you're so good at fighting if you train in _this_!"

Yang nodded, despite the shock still on her own face, "Yeah...with what you throw around you must need something like it. But _damn_!"

The sisters were currently geeking out over the 'training ground' Ichigo had lead them into once they finished eating and pulled Isshin out from the wall. One trip down a _reeeaaaalllly_ long ladder later, and they had ended up in a really big training area. Rocks spread everywhere, and there was even a fake sky painted on the top. It was excessive and crazy- _how_ did this exist without collapsing the town? -but it was _awesome_ at the same time. Having something like this underneath your house would make training so much easier. No worries about damaging anything important. Plenty of space to run around too!

That being said, the crushed rocks littering the place were a _little_ worrying. Considering what Ichigo could do and all.

"Are you ready?!" Isshin didn't bother with the ladder, as he _jumped_ down into the training area.

Blinking in shock, Ruby noted that the older man was wearing the same outfit as Ichigo now. But where Ichigo's was all black aside from the straps he accessorized it with, his father had a white cloak over the top of it. And his Zanpakutō was much smaller...it had the same curve to it, and similar tassels. But otherwise, it didn't look anything like Ichigo's.

"You could have used the ladder," Ichigo dryly replied.

"Nonsense! I have to make an entrance," and with that Isshin struck a rather silly pose. Ruby giggled, while Ichigo and Yang facepalmed in unison. The amusement didn't last long though.

As Isshin vanished so fast that even Ruby couldn't see him move. And she was the only one who could reliably track _Ichigo_ at that. The speed...

"I hate when he does that," Ichigo complained, as the sound of steel clashing against steel echoed through the training area.

"Don't be a wimp my son!"

Spinning around, Ruby saw Isshin, his blade caught on Zangetsu's. She hadn't even seen him attack...just how fast _was_ the man? Quickly extending Crescent Rose- and thanking the fact that she never left Beacon without her 'sweetheart' -Ruby jumped back herself. She saw Yang do the same out of the corner of her eye, a shell already loaded into Ember Celica. If Isshin wanted to test them, the sisters would do everything they could to do their best. And Ruby for one was looking forward to it. A good fight with another person was always fun, when it wasn't serious.

Though as Ichigo fired a point-blank Getsuga to get his father off his sword, it _might_ not be quite as simple as she would otherwise liked. The man just flipped away from the blow, landing on the ground no worse for wear. Ichigo held his blade in front of him, saying the words Ruby had only heard once before.

"Cast off your fear and cleave the heavens...Zangetsu!"

As the light from his Shikai lit up the area, Ruby aimed down the scope of the sniper built into her own weapon. Isshin didn't seem to notice, as she sighted in on his arm.

_Gotcha!_

The girl grinned as she fired a pair of bullets as fast as she could cycle the bolt on Crescent Rose. The bullets impacted directly on Isshin, who just looked down, before looking at Ruby.

_And grinned._

Acting on instinct, Ruby flashed into her semblance. And it was a good thing she did, as the elder Kurosaki's blade impacted the ground where she had been standing.

"Nice reflexes!" Isshin congratulated her, before grunting slightly, "Ow!"

Yang stood behind him, her fist smoking as she fired another shotgun shell into the back of the elder man. Isshin spun around, his blade angling right for her sister's stomach. Ruby didn't give him the chance, flashing forward in a flurry of rose petals. She moved as fast as her Semblance could go, catching the blade of the Zanpakutō on Crescent Rose's curved blade. Isshin didn't seem to mind, as he put another hand on his blade, twisting his arm. Ruby's silver eyes widened, as she was twisted into the air. The man beneath her swung his sword up, only for it to be caught on the dark black blade of Zangetsu.

Ichigo's swords came around faster than he had ever swung them before- that Ruby had seen at any rate -each swing of an arm connecting with his father's weapon. And each blow was caught and redirected, before Isshin grinned again, and _headbutted his son_ away. Ichigo shouted indignantly as he went flying through several boulders, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Both of the sisters looked at that, before looking back at the Kurosaki patriarch who lazily held his sword on his shoulder.

"You'll have to do better than that my son!" he shouted.

"Shut up you bastard!" Ichigo shouted back from wherever he landed.

Sharing a shrug, Yang and Ruby continued to fight themselves. The pair jumped forward, Ruby flashing into petals again as she swung Crescent Rose at Isshin's head. The older man ducked under the blow, spinning to the side as Yang's fist flew where he had been standing. Ruby fired a brace of bullets, eyes widening slightly when all they did was make Isshin grunt slightly. The man really _was_ made of iron!

"Nice try!"

"Eat this!"

Firing her shells again, Yang punched Isshin through a rock. If it were anyone else, the sisters might have worried about him being hurt by that. As it sat, they didn't. Because Isshin soon came stumbling out, coughing lightly. Though the stupid grin that seemed typical of him hadn't left.

In fact, he just smirked now, "I see Ichigo picked a strong woman! Nice job my son!"

"Shut up!" the son in question flashed back into the spar, Zangetsu's blades coated with blue energy, "Getsuga Jūjisho!"

Two crescents of energy came out of the weapon, engulfing the pair in brilliant light. Ruby had to hold a hand over her eyes, until it faded. Revealing Isshin standing in the middle of a cross shaped crater in the ground, smoking slightly. Ichigo panted next to Yang, clearly having put his energy into that attack. That hadn't worked...how strong _was_ his father?!

"That...was...awesome!" Ruby couldn't help herself.

Isshin grinned at her despite smoking, "Yes it was! You see Ichigo, _that_ is what I'm teaching you! Not that it worked."

With that said, the elder Kurosaki flashed behind Yang. The blonde spun around, but wasn't quite quick enough to avoid getting struck by the sword. Or, rather, her _hair_ getting struck. Ruby winced, even as Ichigo's eyes widened and he flashed away himself. Isshin just looked confused as Yang stopped moving and his son moved _away_ from her. Granted said confusion didn't last long, as fire blew from Yang's body and sent him flying into a rock...again. Isshin popped back out of the rock, eyes wide as he looked at Ruby's sister. For her part, the scythe user just stowed Crescent Rose on her back...getting in angry Yang's way was a quick way to get hurt.

Or at least get her sister annoyed.

"Fire?! Ichigo, you've betrayed me by finding someone like me! Only this one's a hot woman?!"

"Your funeral!" was all the teen said in response.

Yang didn't say anything, but a scream as she charged right at the Kurosaki patriarch. Flames gathered at her wrists as she used the power that Ichigo had helped her unlock. She fired a shotgun shell, the projectile wreathed in fire as it shot at Isshin. Only this time, instead of letting it hit him, he flashed away once more.

"Bakudo #4, Hainawa."

Whatever Isshin said, it was some sort of attack. Ruby could only watch as a yellow rope of pure energy wrapped around her sister, stopping Yang in her tracks. Crimson eyes fading back into lilac from shock, the blonde looked down at her body.

"What the...Ichigo! You've been holding back again?!" her sister complained.

"Actually I'm crap at that," Ichigo shrugged.

"That he is," Isshin agreed, before releasing Yang, "Now, I think I've seen enough. You three are ready _enough_ as long as I go with you."

Ruby blinked, "Ready for what?"

At that, Isshin sheathed his sword and walked to a rock to sit down. He waved the teenagers over to him, each sitting in a circle around the oldest person present. Looking at each in turn, Isshin dropped the goofy grin he was quickly becoming known for. Replacing it was the serious look he also wore. Reaching into his robe, his hand came out with a scroll. One that looked odd, since it wasn't like a Beacon-issue one...not with that extra wide screen. It _did_ have Ruby looking at it with longing eyes though...while weapons were her main interest, any technology could get her interest.

Those longing eyes turned to watery eyes as a familiar white cloak appeared however. She almost reached a hand out, only to stop when Yang placed an arm around her shoulder. Not that her sister was much better. _Ichigo_ put an arm around her. And Yang didn't protest!

"I found this looking through some old records," Isshin continued, "we weren't in Vale when your mother vanished. But, I have treated a _lot_ of Hunters and Huntresses. One of them had this picture...claimed they saw a woman wandering around, like she was lost and trying to remember something. He never got close enough to figure it out though. Because..."

"Because what?" Yang got out.

"This was in the Badlands outside the Kingdom."

* * *

**AN: And there we go. And yes, I'm evil. *insert evil laugh here*  
**

**In all seriousness though, this'll be our first major break with RWBY canon. While it's possible I've missed something, Summer is just missing though everyone _assumes_ she's dead. Until RT confirms what happened to her, it's a mystery...but clearly, I'm going my own way with that. Might require some retconning later on, but hey, better than holding perfectly to the existing story.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, despite the slight delay. Also, Ruby and Yang are really quite great fighters...for their skill level.  
**

**They, however, were up against a man who could go against _Aizen_ without using his Shikai. Yeah.**

**Reviews:**

**Telron, Krazyfanfiction1, Dosudro, duskrider, Exalted Demi-Soul, desdelor97, ageary39, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, InvictusReaping, Chaos-Guard, JJN37, sgolek1, Duanemaster, Guest1, Guest2, Guest3, yiggdrasill, JWhuker,** **Guest4,** **hollowichigo12**:Thanks for the reviews!

**humbertorojo96: **At this point, it would have been odd to have the other two go along...right now, only Ichigo (well, and his family) know about the mother situation. The villains...I'm saving their perspective for later. It's difficult to write any one of them (aside from Roman maybe) without knowing what Cinder's master plan is.

**The Digger92:** Thanks! It's a bit of pressure sometimes, but I'm glad I've kept this schedule going really.

**Grinja:** _Ichigo_ probably wishes he had thought of that really.

**The Megaevolved Pony:** Well it certainly sounds interesting.

**Drake D Zero:** Like I said, the Quincy are a _very_ iffy thing. If I did it at all, it'd be in a hypothetical sequel or side-story. In other words, so far in the future that my only answer can be:

'Who the hell knows?'

**liberty86:** Time period...Ichigo hasn't fought Aizen. Can't say more than that, other than the fact that he's 17...make what you will of that.

**LeadStrategist:** That was for my pure-Bleach story actually. Ichigo's Bankai in here...I can't talk about without spoiling things.

**Fifth Horseman:** I hope you liked said serious moment. That was an interesting thing to write really.

**Server lock:** The _main_ cast isn't getting any bigger. Team RWB(I)Y is still the main focus, with JNPR in far second place. Any Bleach characters added in would be for their arcs and a cameo at times...not anything major. I don't want character overload by any means.

**freechimchangas:** Can't answer about the Bankai...the spirits are a potential scene though.

**Gravenimage:** Glad you liked it. Yeah, Ruby is only a year to two years (at most) older than the twins here.

**MEleeSmasher:** It should be clear after this chapter really.

But, in case it isn't:

Ichi-Yang. We've reached critical mass there, where things are _going_ to start happening soon. So I'm willing to admit that one now, since I never said I was going to keep it a secret the whole time.

**AN: And there we go. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Also, since I need to get this off my chest:**

**S**

**P**

**O**

**I**

**L**

**E**

**R**

**A**

**L**

**E**

**R**

**T**

**HOLY HELL GRIMMJOW!**


	16. The Badlands

**AN: Got the chapter up on time this...time. Not much to say up here, other than I took requests to heart and worked in a bit from Weiss and Blake. Hope everyone enjoys the chapter! Bigger note at the bottom.  
**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long  
**

* * *

There was a reason that the area outside the Kingdoms was called the 'Badlands'. Past the walls of Vale, it was a wilderness that very few settled, or even explored. There were small villages and other settlements scattered through the area, but they were just that...small, and never very secure. Anyone who lived outside the Kingdom knew that staying in one place for too long was going to attract Grimm. As such, they moved on after relatively little time in any one place. It was the only way to make sure that they were safe. Problem being, that left the areas _not_ populated rather...wild. To put things mildly, anyway. More accurately...

"Man, and I thought the Emerald Forest was bad."

It was a mess. Overgrown foliage everywhere, with trees that looked straight out of a horror movie. All vine-covered and mossy, nothing like the ones in Forever Fall, or even the Emerald Forest. Not to mention the ever-present howl of Grimm. For Yang, it brought back some _very_ unpleasant memories. Patch's wilderness hadn't been quite as bad, but it had hardly been a cakewalk either, to be fair. It hardly mattered though, when what _did_ matter was her memories. At least this time she had backup...and Ruby wasn't a helpless toddler.

The situation was _way_ too similar for her to feel totally comfortable though, considering she was out looking for _a_ mother again.

"You okay?" of course, Ichigo would notice that. He was almost as good at telling her moods as she was with his.

"Sorta," Yang shrugged, ducking under a branch as Isshin lead them through the unfamiliar brush.

"'Sorta'?" Ichigo replied, not even bothering to duck as Zangetsu worked rather well at cutting branches.

"Well, I...this brings back some bad memories, y'know?"

Ichigo scowled slightly, "Bad...oh, right."

"Yup," even in this situation Yang still smiled as she popped the 'p', "don't mind me though. I'd worry about your father."

"Why?"

As Isshin looked over his shoulder with a stupid grin on his face, Ichigo facepalmed as he got Yang's meaning. Wasn't hard to, what with the old pervert constantly grinning whenever the two of them stood next to each other.

Not that Ichigo wasn't handsome, but admitting that with Old Man Pervert around was not a good idea.

"He doesn't do that with Ruby," Ichigo complained.

"Probably because Ruby is younger?" Yang shrugged.

Of course, she was off by a long shot in that regard. And she figured as much...it was because Ichigo treated her sister as, well, a little sister in all likelihood. It would have surprised her if he didn't treat Ruby that way, after meeting his own sisters. Her sibling acted like Yuzu with some features from Karin, and was only a year or two older than the twins. So even if her sister had a crush on her friend- she might, Yang hadn't had a chance to corner her about that yet -_Ichigo_ would never act on it, even if the thick-headed dunce noticed it.

Not that Yang noticed that Ichigo spent more time with her than anyone else though.

"Stop."

Nearly walking into the aforementioned orangehead, Yang blinked slightly.

"Eh?"

"Don't you feel it Yang?" Ruby spoke up softly.

"Feel what now?"

It was sad, but Yang was the _worst_ of the team at sensing things. She could certainly feel the oppressive taint of Grimm all around, something that made her wince at how Weiss must feel on a daily basis. But the combination of the amount of Grimm around and her own relative lack of skill meant that picking out any details was damn near impossible. So...

"Grimm, a big one," Ichigo answered.

"Nevermore big?"

Isshin snorted, "If you think that Nevermore my idiot of a son told me about was bad, you've seen nothing yet."

"Well excuse me," Yang crossed her arms.

"She really is a nice catch Ichigo."

"I am not dealing with this right now," the orangehead groaned, "focus old man!"

"I'm plenty focused," Isshin shot right back, his blade shining as it cut through a tree...and a Beowolf.

As the Grimm started dissolving- far quicker than it should have, Yang noted -a whole pack of the creatures jumped into view, swarming from every direction. Isshin didn't seem to care much, as his blade flashed through one, two, three Beowolves in quick succession. Neither did Ruby, who had a grin on her face as she vanished into her Semblance, rose petals falling all around as Grimm fell in pieces or with limbs blown off by the crack of rifle fire. For her part, Yang felt a flash of adrenaline run through her system, as she jumped at the opportunity to _do_ something. Her weapons echoed through the clearing as shells were cocked, and the blonde charged right at an Ursa.

With a grin nearly identical to her sister's, Yang punched the Ursa flat in the face. The crack of a shotgun shell rang out, as the Grimm went flying backwards. She didn't stop with just the one punch though. Jumping into the air, Yang sent a leg flying out, kicking the Ursa's chest to knock it into the air. Where her second fist came up, connecting with the lower jaw of the monster. The Ursa groaned, as its head went flying away from its body. Paying no more mind to the dissolving Grimm, Yang ducked under a swing from a Beowolf, her gauntlet catching the claws of the beast as it howled in anger.

Yang just pushed it away from her, her body a _lot_ stronger than it would otherwise appear. The Grimm stumbled backwards, as Yang punched it in the gut. Her special technique activated, the fire joining her shotgun shell as it impacted onto the wolves torso. Flames licked at the beasts fur, as it keened in pain before falling to the ground.

_I really need to thank Ichigo again. I couldn't punch out a Grimm in one shot before!_

Speaking of the other teen, Ichigo was next to his father, the two a blur as their Zanpakutō cut through Grimm after Grimm. If she hadn't fought both of them before, Yang might have been jealous of how quickly they could kill Grimm.

As it was though...

"Damn it Ichigo! Stop showing off over there!" the grin on her face did much to dispel any bite to her words.

"Maybe you should go faster?" he suggested, small smirk on his face.

"Oh, it's on now!"

"Eh, I'll be worried when you get more Grimm than me."

Of course, this playful banter didn't exactly go unnoticed by the Kurosaki patriarch. If anything, it heavily amused Isshin, who smirked at the teenagers.

"Enough flirting kids! Save that for when we get back!"

"Oi!" Ichigo protested, "I'm not flirting!"

"What he said!" Yang added.

Before she could say anything else though, Yang was forced back into fighting. Ruby flashed out of nowhere to land next to her older sister, Crescent Rose's barrel smoking slightly. Ruby grinned at her sister, as she clicked the ejector on her magazine. The heavy box fell to the ground, as she pulled another out and placed it into the empty receptacle. Yang sometimes wondered _where_ Ruby kept so much ammo on her...

But then, why care?

"Hey sis," Ruby said, talking casually like they were in a forest surrounded by Grimm, "this is fun!"

"Y'know...it really is."

Punching aside a Beowolf that tried to jump her from behind, Yang really did agree with her sister. Life-threatening situations to most people would be serious or at least something that shouldn't be joked about. But she _lived_ for the thrill of the fight. Yang was an adrenaline addict, and didn't try to hide the fact. If anything, she enjoyed fighting more than her sister. Ruby wanted to be a Huntress to be like their mom...someone who fights to protect people and make the world better.

Yang wanted it, because of the adventure.

"Nice catch Ichigo, someone who likes fighting as much as you do!" Isshin had to ruin the moment.

"Seriously shut up before I cut you by _accident_."

Not able to stop a laugh at the byplay, Yang's fist knocked an Ursa right into Ruby's weapon. As the incredibly sharp scythe cut through the tough skin of the Grimm though, a howl came from the remaining Beowolves. A howl that was echoed throughout the forest, as the rest of the Grimm started running away.

"That was...too easy," Yang blinked.

"That was just the appetizer," Isshin replied, holding his blade to his side, "The big boy hasn't come yet."

Ruby's eyes widened beside her sister, "'Big boy'?"

"Him."

As Isshin spoke that, a truly _monstrous_ Ursa crashed through the trees surrounding the little group. The one that Jaune had faced had previously held the title as 'biggest and baddest' that Yang had seen. This one made it look like a wimp. Swinging its arm, the Grimm knocked an ancient tree aside like it was a fence post, as Ichigo and his father jumped away from it.

Spikes grew from the back and shoulders of the Grimm, each at least as big as Yang's torso. The claws on the Grimm looked long and sharp enough to cut through even her gauntlets. If anything, they were more menacing that _Ichigo's sword_. Not to mention the size of the Grimm itself, well over twenty- hell, maybe even thirty -feet tall as it knocked trees aside. Dark fur bristled in anger, as it growled deep enough to shake the ground. Red eyes larger than Yang's fists stared down on the fighters, as the Grimm bared fangs the size of daggers.

All in all, it made for a _very_ bad sight.

"...okay, I take it back," Yang said, "_now_ I'm understanding why this is the Badlands."

"Stay back," Isshin's voice was deadly serious as he looked up at the Grimm, "you aren't ready for this yet."

"Hey!" both sisters spoke at the same time, with Ruby adding, "I can handle it!"

Isshin turned back, his eyes hard as rock, "No, you can't."

Now, let it be said that Yang and Ruby listened to authority figures. But right now, the _last_ thing they wanted to do was let someone else fight in their place. It went against every bone in their bodies, albeit for different reasons. As such, both sisters fired their ranged weapons at the Grimm.

That just roared in anger, as bloody holes appeared in its flank. The Grimm charged forward on all fours, bulldozing trees aside as it ran headlong at the sisters. Who, to their credit, jumped away from it. Ruby flashed into her semblance, the petals clearly confusing the Ursa as they flew into its eyes. Yang didn't have the advantage of her sister, but Ruby's slight confusing of the Grimm let her roll to the side, out of the line of charging-Grimm fire. Even as she did so however, instincts had Yang firing another shell into the monster, making it roar once more.

"Ichigo!" the commanding voice rang out again.

"I know!" Ichigo replied, releasing his Shikai as the Grimm ran through where he _would_ have been standing.

Instead, it came face to face with Isshin Kurosaki. Who held his own Zanpakutō out, as energy began to glow on his body. Yang knew what she was about to see...and the childish part of her was _really_ looking forward to it.

_I wonder just how fiery it really is!_

"Burn, Engetsu."

And Yang got her answer, as flames flew from the blade of Isshin's Zanpakutō, coating it in a burning red mass of energy. There was a corresponding leap in the power rolling off the man...and even for someone as bad at sensory abilities as her, she could _feel_ the raw power of the man. It was similar to Ichigo...but different in so many other ways. It was...

"Awesome..." Ruby breathed next to her.

That...that it was.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo's voice broke them from staring at his father, as a large blue crescent crashed into the back of the Ursa, sending blood and shards of spines flying. The Grimm roared in mixed pain and anger, as it got to its hind legs and swiped at the offending student. Ichigo flashed away, proving that in at least one respect he was decidedly superior to the monster of a Grimm...pure speed.

"Come on Yang!" Ruby pulled at her arm, "Let's help!"

"Right!" the blonde nodded, running to a tree. She knew better than to get close to a Grimm with paws bigger than her entire body...Aura couldn't defend against _that_. Instead, she ran up the side of the tree, before pushing her legs against her torso...and jumping _out_ from the tree, her body twisting to allow her arms free aim at the Ursa.

Pumping them back, Yang fired as fast as her fists could move and Ember Celica could cycle its shells. Red lights flew at the Grimm, pounding into the wound Ichigo had made. The teenager didn't have to look to see Ruby doing the same thing, quickly identifying the weakpoint as a spot to focus her own sniper fire. Roaring back at them, the Ursa attempted to hit the, to it, annoying flies attacking its wounded back. 'Attempted' being the key word.

Because as that massive paw came towards Yang, a blade of fire cut clean through it, severing the limb in one strike.

"You're just as stubborn as my son!" the elder Kurosaki sounded more bemused than anything.

"I resent that!" Ichigo shouted back, "Getsuga Tensho!"

Blue energy again flew at the Ursa, this time right past Yang, who turned a glare on Ichigo for nearly hitting her. Not that she could blame him for taking an opening, as his attack cut through the side of the monster bear's face, turning an eye into little more than a scorched hole. The Grimm flinched back, the double blows of losing an arm and an eye more than it could easily take. More than had ever been done to it...and at that size, this was an _ancient_ Grimm. Toss in Ruby landing on its back and cutting into the existing wound with Crescent Rose's sharp blade, and it was little wonder that the Ursa turned to try and retreat.

Not that it would get a chance.

"Ichigo! Kurosaki Special!" Isshin shouted out.

"Got it!"

Both Kurosaki men flew through the air at the other- something that Yang wished she knew how to do -and charged attacks on their blades. Red and blue fire grew along the blades of the swords, before Ichigo and his father spoke the same words.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Sending twin crescents of energy shooting at the Ursa's neck. As Yang landed on the ground- next to a winded Ruby, having pushed herself harder than usual to get away from the Ursa -she watched as the attacks combined at the joint of the Ursa's head to the rest of its body...cutting clean through. The massive Grimm fell to the ground, neatly decapitated.

"Well...that was something."

Isshin Kurosaki snorted, "Oh, that's just one Grimm and it's not even the biggest. Let's get going before more show up...we're not far from where your mother was seen."

And Yang couldn't deny the rush of excitement that went through her at that statement.

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

* * *

While the rest of the team fought their way through the Badlands, Blake and Weiss were starting to seriously begin wondering where their teammates had vanished to. They were out of school for awhile before the next semester began, but that didn't mean they particularly expected the other three members of Team RWBIY to just...wander off without saying anything. Blake especially was confused by the situation, as the others had gotten onto _her_ for running off without telling anyone but Ichigo why- and only telling _him_ because he caught her leaving. So it was a bit hypocritical really, for them to leave without telling her or Weiss _why_ or _where_ they were going.

Especially since it would inevitably lead to worry on the part of the remaining two girls. Blake didn't like not knowing where her team was, especially considering she _knew_ the White Fang. If you got in their way, you were painting a large target on your back. And with what Ichigo had done, he was going to have a _massive _target on his back, to say the least. So it was hardly safe to be out and about without the entire team working together...at least not until things calmed down somewhat. And that would not happen quickly, to say the least.

"I seriously wonder where those fools have gotten of to," Weiss complained, as the pair walked through Beacon's halls.

"So do I," Blake replied, ears twitching slightly beneath her bow, "not even a note to let us know?"

"It reminds me of you," the heiress sighed, before wincing slightly, "no offense."

"None taken. I just wish we knew where they had gone."

Shaking her head slightly, Weiss nodded in agreement, "Exactly. Surely it can't be far, or they _would_ have left a note. It probably has something to do with why they were acting off a few days ago."

"Something to do with their mothers?"

"Probably. I just wish I knew _what_."

That was what it really came down to...a wish to know what was going on. It didn't matter what it was in the long run...other than figuring out what could possibly be so important that they would leave without letting the rest of the team know why.

Humming in thought, Blake looked down the hall, "Maybe JNPR might know?"

"_Why_ would they know when _we_ don't?" Weiss asked dubiously.

"Jaune and Pyrrha have been spending a lot of time together, and they tend to leave early in the morning..."

Weiss nodded as understanding dawned on her face.

"Meaning..." she said.

"That they might have seen them leave."

Nodding again, Weiss spun on her heel and moved towards the other team's dorm room. It was a long shot, but if it worked, it worked. And right now, the two girls wanted to know where their partners- and a certain orangehead -had vanished off too. Even if it was doubtful that JNPR knew themselves, it was at least worth trying, on the off chance they did know something. It was better than wandering around Beacon bouncing increasingly unlikely ideas off the other.

_Why Weiss would think they were going to a festival is beyond me,_ Blake couldn't help but chuckle softly, _Ichigo hates them._

That being said, there was no real guarantee that _JNPR_ would be in their room. They were technically on break after all, and it was entirely possible that the other team was out in Vale somewhere instead of in Beacon. Which would be a problem, to put things mildly.

"Hey guys!"

...or, they might be right in front of them. Jaune was the one to speak, waving with a smile on his face. Pyrrha was with him, along with Ren. Nora was nowhere to be seen, though the sounds of crashing from the dorm room probably meant she was making something or other. Well, that and the way that Ren was sending nervous looks back at his room.

"Hello," Weiss replied somewhat stiffly. She had gotten a lot better, but the heiress was still a bit awkward outside of the team.

Blake, on the other hand, nodded easily, "Hello."

"The others haven't gotten back yet?" Jaune continued, tilting his head in confusion.

"Evidently not," Ren added.

Looking at the other team, it was Weiss who spoke first, "That is why we're here. We want to know if _you_ know where the fools are."

"What she means," Blake elaborated, "Is we are wondering if Ruby told you where they were going?"

Pyrrha sent the pair a curious look, "They didn't tell you?"

"No."

The reply in unison of the two remaining members of RWBIY got a snort from Jaune, a smile from Pyrrha, and _might_ have gotten something from Ren, were he not busy keeping an eye on the shut door of his dorm. Even the girls in question smiled slightly at the irony. They didn't normally spend much time as _just_ the two of them- the pair weren't even partners! -but it was still amusing. If anything, more amusing for that exact reason really. That aside, it seemed like Pyrrha at least knew where the others had went. So that was a success at least.

Maybe. It was also possible she was just asking that question because _she_ assumed _they_ knew. Blake could understand that much.

"Ichigo said they were going to visit his family," Jaune answered, surprisingly enough.

"Visi..." Weiss blinked, before scowling remarkably like the aforementioned teen, "Why would they do that and not _tell_ us?"

"I believe he thought you would go too," Pyrrha suggested.

Blake frowned, "...that might be the case."

"We did say that we should always work as a team," the heiress spoke slowly, as the realization dawned on her too.

Clearly, for some reason or another, Ichigo had wanted to bring_ only_ the sisters with him to his home. But why would he want that? It wasn't like her or Weiss were going to say anything about...whatever it had been that was messing with the others. They didn't have a _reason_ to say anything that the others wouldn't want them saying. So it really made no sense to her, not when one considered her...own...

Oh.

_Ichigo gave me the time I needed alone. He probably wanted the same courtesy for him, Ruby and Yang...but why not at least _tell_ us they were leaving? That doesn't make sense._

"But why wouldn't they tell _us_ about them leaving at least?" Weiss complained.

Surprisingly enough, it was Ren who answered before Blake could, "It was likely because they wanted time alone."

"That is what I assumed," Blake nodded, "at least, after you told us why."

"They could have gotten time alone here," the white-haired girl still sounded put-out...before stiffening.

"Weiss?" Blake asked, sharing a look with the members of JNPR.

The other girl shook slightly, as her eyes unfocused. To say this was odd would be an understatement. Weiss had never acted like this before, to put things mildly. It was worrying Blake enough that she stepped forward to shake her shoulder, before the Heiress shook her own head rapidly. Her ice-blue eyes refocused, staring right at the Faunus girl in front of her.

"They're fighting something big."

"Umm...how do you know that?" Jaune asked confusedly.

"I'm curious myself," Pyrrha added.

Ren merely nodded his agreement, as the girls began to metaphorically sweat. It was hardly their secret to share...what Ichigo was capable of. Various Professors knew, something about an agreement with Ozpin. But no other students knew about the special powers.

"Well...that..." Weiss stumbled for words.

"Is a special ability Weiss has," Blake answered quickly, "like her Glyphs. We aren't sure how she does it though."

"Hmm..." Pyrrha maintained a curious look.

"Aww...it sounded cool," Jaune just pouted.

It _was_ cool, to be fair. But it wasn't something that they could or should teach. That was up to Ichigo and Professor Ozpin, and not the girls. And right now...as they said goodbye to JNPR, they had something bigger to deal with. Figuring out what could be big enough to fight that Weiss felt it all the way at Beacon...and if they could use that sense to figure out where the others were. If they were fighting, they would need help. And team RWBIY stuck together when one of its members was in danger. The least the two girls could do was hold to that...

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

What Weiss was feeling was the fall of another Giant Ursa, as the little group panted tiredly. Other than Isshin anyway, who seemed to run on limitless energy. Even Ruby felt tired, as she put Crescent Rose back on her back. Fighting this long against this many Grimm was wearing her out...but she had to keep going! Her mother was out here somewhere, and the last thing she could do was just give up. She knew that Yang didn't want her being stubborn and getting herself hurt doing the same thing she had done. She knew that quite well actually, since Yang had made her _promise_ not to be the same as her. But Ruby couldn't...she...couldn't...

She couldn't just leave her mother out here alone. Mom was someone that the young girl had missed for years. She could only barely remember her mom, not like Yang. But what she did remember had always left Ruby feeling...like there was a hole in her heart. She had missed her mother badly, and while Yang did her best to fill that hole for the both of them...it had never gone away. So the idea that Mom was out there somewhere close by...it made her every bit determined to keep going.

_I want to find you Mom. I want to bring you home to Dad and Zwei and Yang and Ichigo!_

It didn't occur to her how odd it was to be listing Ichigo in that mental list. All that Ruby did instead, was tug her cloak closer to her body...relishing in the feeling of her Mother's Aura.

"How much further old man?" speaking of the orangehead...

"I don't know," Isshin answered, "just because Summer was seen around here, doesn't mean she's still around."

"She has to be," Yang countered.

"Yeah! She has to be..." Ruby added, her voice trailing off slightly at the end.

Her sister was at her side in an instant, arm around her shoulders. Ruby smiled up at her, as Ichigo sent the pair a slightly sad look...though on his face, it spoke wonders as to how he must be feeling. Considering his own Mom was gone and he could never get her back...

"I'm sure she is," the elder Kurosaki continued, "though I'm hardly familiar enough with her Aura to know for sure."

"None of us are," Ichigo sighed.

Ruby shook her head, "Nuh uh, I am!"

"You are with what's on the Cloak. That may not be what she feels like after..."

"Over a decade," Yang filled in.

"Yeah, that."

As much as she wanted to deny that point, Ruby couldn't. She knew what her Mom felt like when she was around, even if the memories were a bit foggy. She knew what the Cloak felt like, as she had began to feel the Aura lingering on it as a method of comfort after Ichigo had informed her of what it was. But neither of those necessarily meant she was going to recognize her mother after this long in the wilderness. It was entirely possible that she wouldn't even recognize her face, if not for the white cloak. Ruby didn't want to think that way, not at all. But the fact remained, that she barely remembered her mother's face. And she probably wouldn't recognize her after so long out here in the Badlands.

At least she knew her sister would. Yang hadn't let go of her shoulder, with the fact that no Grimm were in sight for once. The two of them were, perhaps, more nervous than anything else. While the tiredness from fighting the Grimm was still there, the nerves were beginning to take hold again. Would Mom even _recognize_ them? She had to have some memory loss, or she would have returned home. So even if they found her...

_What if she doesn't remember us?_

That thought made Ruby curl into her sister slightly. She didn't want to think about it...not at all.

"You okay little sis?" Yang whispered, as the Kurosaki men got into an argument over something or other.

"Yeah," Ruby replied, though her hands gripping Yang's shirt didn't help her case any.

"Worried about Mom?"

Her sister always had been perceptive.

"Yeah," was all she could say again.

Yang hummed slightly, "I am too. But we have to be happy about finding her Ruby. It's been so long, but if we can find Mom..."

"I know. I want to see her too!"

"That we can agree on sis."

The sisters shared a silent moment of hope...that was promptly ruined by Isshin Kurosaki, as per usual lately. In this case, the man was walking up and down, stomping on twigs as he paced. The sound was somewhat grating to be honest, especially considering it was likely to attract more Grimm. And even as battle-happy as the sisters were, they _really_ wanted a break from the constant fighting right now. Fighting Grimm after Grimm after Grimm was really starting to push them to their limits.

Which did explain why Isshin had wanted to test them. Even Ruby could acknowledge that they really _weren't_ ready to fight in the Badlands without an experienced Huntsman or Huntress with them. It was just too many Grimm to handle easily. Even leaving out the monster sized ones. Ruby had no issue with fighting them, it was fun actually! But killing one on her own or even with Yang helping? She doubted she could pull it off. At least not easily.

"I wonder..." Isshin started speaking, "Ichigo!"

"Yeah?" the teenager replied, turning away from looking at her sister...getting a curious look from Ruby at that.

"Get over here," the older man continued, "I want to try something."

"...why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Stop complaining my son! And do what your dear father asks of you!"

Ichigo sighed, "No need to be so dramatic old man."

Ruby couldn't quite help a giggle at that byplay, even considering the situation. Yang grinned at her, clearly every bit as amused as the younger girl was. It was hard not to be amused by the Kurosaki family really.

"What do you need me for anyway?" Ichigo complained.

"I want you to get up that tree and fire off a Getsuga," Isshin explained, "biggest one you can pull off!"

"...why...?"

Yang seemed to realize the plan before Ichigo did, "You think Mom will come if she sees that?"

"That and all the Grimm we've just been beating up," the elder Kurosaki nodded.

"That actually makes sense," Ichigo mused, "I'm impressed."

Isshin glared at his son, "Get up the tree!"

Kicking his son into gear- quite literally, this being Isshin Kurosaki -Ruby felt a spike of hope run through her. If this plan worked, maybe her mother would find them! And if Mom found them, Ruby would be the first to go to her. No matter the worry she felt at the idea that the older woman wouldn't remember her. Ruby couldn't bring herself to care about that. Because in the long run, it didn't matter if Mom didn't remember her right away. It would hurt, and she couldn't even deny that. Yang wouldn't deny it either, she knew that much too.

But what mattered, was that Ruby would have her mother back. It might take some time for her to recover, but she would be back...and that was the really important thing. Having her back in her life would be enough for the young team leader. Even if it took a lot of work to rebuild their lives together. As long as Ruby had her mother back, it would be okay in the end.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

That shout brought Ruby out of her thoughts, as the familiar crescent of energy shot into the sky. Only this time it had a bit of a black edge to the blue...and felt a bit different. She couldn't put her finger on it, and as it turned out...wouldn't have the chance.

"Well, that was quick."

Isshin's voice drew her and Yang's attention...and got a gasp out of both sisters.

"Mom?" Yang got out first, as the familiar white-cloak fluttered into view.

A woman with familiar dark-red/black hair stared out from under the cloak, silver eyes looking at both teenage girls. The eyes were as familiar to Ruby as her own...because they _were_ her own. Where Yang had inherited her eyes from _her_ mother, Ruby had inherited Summer's. Both her eyes and her hair, as the woman walked slowly towards the sisters. Her cloak was tattered and clearly sewn together from multiple rips and tears. The dress she was wearing- dark blue in coloration -was in the same shape, with tears in the material clearly visible. Dirt covered everything, making it clear that she had been living outside of civilization for some time.

For their parts, Isshin and Ichigo had moved aside, giving a respectful distance to the long-delayed reunion. And as Summer's prematurely lined- though still beautiful -face stared at her daughters, it broke into a weary smile. One that broke Ruby's heart...as she could see pain in that smile. Pain that she had only ever seen on Yang's face.

"Ru...Ruby? Ya...Ya...Yang?" Summer stuttered slightly, eyes unfocused like she was struggling to remember.

"Mom!" Ruby had no such issues, as she broke from Yang and ran at her mother.

"My...m...daughters," her mother spoke softly...before falling forward, only barely being caught by Ruby.

"Mom?!"

Isshin stepped forward, his eyes serious once more, "Her mind was overloaded. I'm surprised she even remembered your names. Come on, we need to get to some shelter for the night. I'll treat her there...I think she needs it."

Even with that, Ruby felt happiness blossom in her heart. And she knew Yang was feeling the same.

Because they had their mother back.

* * *

**AN: And there we go. At the risk of sounding like a broken record...a bit unsatisfied with the ending. But that was something I've planned for a while now, so I probably was always going to be a bit unhappy with it. Your own worst critic, and all that jazz.  
**

**I should note that Summer isn't going to be recovering from whatever it is wrong with her quickly. She remembers her daughters (sorta) after seeing them, but that's about it for now. Insofar as how she got like this...that's also something I've planned from early on.**

**Her _appearance_ though...that's something I had to improv. Presumably, she has Ruby's eyes and otherwise looks like _her_ daughter, as opposed to Yang who presumably looks like _her_ mother. Who I'm assuming is Raven, until proven otherwise...which causes problems with said woman having Ruby's hair-color and all. It's also why I'm waiting until V3 to do anything with Yang's mother, because while I _assume_ she's Raven, who knows at the moment really...I need to wait and see, since I'm already likely going to have to adjust canon to account for Summer.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! On to the reviews...which are at 464 as I post this...I can hardly believe that. We're almost at 500...**

**Reviews:**

**PersonaQeminod1, Telron, sgolek1, Gravenimage, Firebird0315, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, Drake D Zero, Law77, Noob6, hollowichigo12, Krazyfanfiction1, Tracer28, Zeta710, duskrider, desdelor97, Ranmaleopard, Hollow Saigo No Getsuga Tensho, Grinja, Guest, JJN37: **Thanks for the reviews everyone!

**Assault Godzilla:** Well...that was unfortunate timing. No need to apologize for taking awhile to review at all. Glad to have you back.

**humbertorojo96:** Actually, this isn't a post-Blood War Ichigo. As I've said before, this Ichigo is not Canon!Ichigo, just because he has the dual Shikai. As I mentioned in the review segment last chapter...he hasn't even fought Aizen.

Hope you enjoyed the Weiss and Blake bit though.

About the most Ichigo can do Quincy-wise right now would be Blut Vene. He doesn't have a way to properly focus his powers.

**Son of the morning:** Well, it's good to know I'm doing well enough that even people unfamiliar with RWBY can enjoy it!

**Chaos-Guard:**...I can't confirm or deny that. Though on the second bit, yeah, Angry!Yang is scary.

**Fifth Horseman:** I'd expect more serious moments as we go on (oooh boy the next chapter...) to be honest. I do plan on having more about Ichigo and Masaki, including a side-arc currently planned for either during-or-after V3, depending on how it progresses.

The bit with Pyrrha against CRDL is going to be pretty fun actually. Same with the Dance of the Strawberry- yes, I couldn't resist. Taiyang and Qrow...that's going to be interesting. Not sure how it's going to go (and if it'll require retconning when we know more about them) but interesting nonetheless.

**Server lock:** More or less, yes. It was a test after all.

**xbox432:** At the start of V2 Ruby says that 'it's been a great couple weeks, but class starts back up tomorrow'. I took that to mean they have at least a month or so break between semesters. Admittedly I could be wrong, but it's what I'm working with.

**RightHandOfPalpatine:** Eventually, yes.

**NewAtThisOk:** Personally, I like the idea of the spirits considering Ichigo's parents their own...considering they wouldn't exist if he hadn't been born. Maybe that's just me though.

As above though, Ichigo isn't post-Blood War. So I'm not so much bumping Isshin, as this Ichigo isn't at the level Canon!Ichigo is.

**freechimchangas:** No joining them, but we did get a segment with the two remaining members here. Weiss' ability is something I'm keeping secret till it comes up though.

** :** Did he though? We never see him say 'Burn, Engetsu' nor the fire effect his Shikai has during the fight with White. So it's safe to assume he didn't actually release during that fight. Not that fighting Aizen with just a Shikai is any less impressive mind.

**gatesofhellkeeper:** Umm...I didn't mention Grand Fisher? I'm a bit confused. He's got a role to play here, don't worry.

**Dosudro:** That they do. Maybe Summer will provide it.

That was intentional, yes. Tatsuki is important later on, but that's a bit off right now.

**Shashenka:** Bits and pieces will continue coming up as it has been going. The full story will be a personal version of 'Turn Back the Pendulum' at the end of V2. This one'll be an Arc from Isshin's perspective, explaining everything about how the family got to Remnant.

**AN: That should be everyone. Though I apologize if I missed anyone. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! I'm still shocked at how much people enjoy the fic really.**


	17. Memories

**AN: And here we are with the next chapter! I expected the reaction to the last one really...I'm glad people enjoyed it despite the weak ending though!  
**

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long  
**

* * *

It was like a dream. A really unbelievable, if nice, dream. Despite sitting in a moldy cave with only a small fire lit by more of that funky 'Kido' that Isshin Kurosaki was a fan of, Yang felt warmer and more at ease than she could remember feeling in...well, years. Howls of Grimm in the distance, outside in the horrible forest, did little to make the feeling go away. She didn't even feel the urge to go out and hunt said Grimm, which the blonde normally would be feeling in spades- considering how much she enjoyed fighting. If anything, she felt relaxed and completely unwilling to move from her current spot. For a free spirit like Yang, it really would have confused any of her old friends to see her like that. Probably confuse Blake and Weiss too for that matter, since neither her partner nor the Heiress knew her history.**  
**

Knew that she had lost both Mothers. But now...she had one back. Ruby was sitting with Mom, refusing to move from her side since they had entered the cave. Yang would be doing the same, but she...as much as it hurt...figured her sister had more of a claim than her right now. Summer _was_ Mom. But she was also _Ruby's_ Mom, first and foremost. She had never treated the sisters as anything but full-sisters, and both her own. If anything, she had always been _very_ specific about treating them exactly the same. Nonetheless, Yang knew that right now, Ruby was the one who should be with their mother.

She could wait.

"You okay?" Ichigo plopped down next to her, Zangetsu propped against the rock after his patrol- a patrol his father was heading out to take over on, keeping an eye out for roving Grimm. Good thing that the mood amongst the group was unequivocally happy, or they might have attracted the monsters just by _being_ there.

"Didn't you just ask me that earlier?" Yang couldn't help but tease her friend, her feeling at ease transferring to her snarkiness.

"I did didn't I?" for his part, the orangehead just leaned against the wall, "Seriously though."

Yang sighed softly, "I'm more than okay, really. I never thought I would see Mom again, y'know? Having her here is like...a dream come true. I still can't believe she's laying, right there in front of me."

"Then why aren't you over there?"

It wasn't often...but Ichigo could still surprise her with his thoughtfulness. He acted like a blockhead some of the time, but that was really...an act. He was a lot smarter than he let on.

"I think Ruby should be with Mom right now. She's he..."

Ichigo sighed himself, "She's also _your_ Mom, even if not directly."

"I know that!" Yang protested, as quietly as she could, "Still, it feels like I should let Ruby be with her alone for now. She was really torn up when Mom left...and now that she's back I..."

"Want her to be happy?"

Turning to look at her friend, Yang saw an unfamiliar expression on his face. Normally, she would have expected a scowl out of him, since that seemed to be the default facial expression of Ichigo Kurosaki. Occasionally, he would smile. Those were mostly directed at her and Ruby, to be fair...though Blake and Weiss occasionally got one. These were always small smiles though, outside _very_ rare cases where he smiled genuinely.

Right now, though, Ichigo had a different sort of smile on his face. A small, sad smile as he looked at Ruby and Mom. A smile that Yang had never once seen him wear before...one that made her heart hurt a bit. Because there was only _one _reason he would have a sad, almost melancholic, smile on his face.

_I almost forgot..._

No matter how happy Ichigo may have been, there was always going to be sadness hovering over him. Because...

"Are _you_ okay?"

Masaki Kurosaki was most certainly dead and never coming back.

The other teen flinched slightly, "Huh?"

Yang placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, violet eyes searching his face, "You know what I'm talking about."

"I..." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, though he didn't move to remove Yang's hand, "I'm bad at this, okay?"

"We all are y'know," there was still a slight teasing tone to her voice, it was just...her.

It seemed to work, as the other teen sighed fondly, "Yeah yeah, I know that. I really am happy for you two. After all this time we find her still alive? What are the odds of _that_?"

"Not very good," the blonde sighed herself.

"Exactly."

Squeezing her hand slightly, the girl continued, "But I know you're sad too. You can't find your Mom like this."

"No...I can't," Ichigo didn't deny the point, "And you are right about that. It's...hard, I think."

She could hardly blame him for feeling that. Yang had thought for the longest time that Summer was gone. Her father and Uncle had been utterly convinced she was dead...there was a grave, that she knew Ruby had visited only a short time before classes started. Sure, her own mother was still a mystery and may be out there somewhere at the moment. But _Mom_...she had never expected to see again. She had assumed the trip to Ichigo's place was just going to be another false hope that wouldn't come to anything. Well, anything other than meeting his...odd...family.

To actually find Mom...it still hadn't really registered to her. And she knew that Ichigo had to be feeling very conflicted. He may be bad at _speaking_ that feeling, but she knew he had to be feeling it nonetheless. She could only imagine the conflict going on in his heart.

"But I'm used to that," Ichigo continued, slouching down slightly, "Mom's gone, and I can't get her back. But then, that's why I'm training so hard...so I can get back at the bastard who killed her."

"You never did explain that," Yang asked, though she didn't really expect an answer.

The other teen rubbed his neck, "I didn't...it's not easy to talk about."

"I can imagine. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Sighing again, Ichigo shook his head. His amber eyes looked over at Ruby, who was whispering something at her still unconscious mother. The eyes softened at the hooded girl absently rubbing her mother's hand, getting Yang to sigh herself. She felt a small bit of pain in her heart at the fact that it wasn't _her_ over there- her own choice aside -and that she couldn't hold her own mother's hand like that. But she also smiled at the look on Ichigo's face...almost exactly like a happy-but-sad older sibling. He really did look at Ruby like a surrogate 'third sister' didn't he?

"No, I probably should tell you," he finally spoke up, "the old man didn't say anything about me...talking about Mom."

"Why..." Yang blinked at the idea his father _wouldn't _want him talking about it. That would be...odd.

"Mom was taking me home from some ka...sparring practice," Ichigo ignored her question pointedly, "it was a really rainy day, worse than any I've seen in Vale. The river we were walking by was pretty much overflowing it's banks it was so bad. We should have been getting home as quickly as possible, before we got soaked senseless. But while we were walking by that river, I saw a girl standing next to it, no umbrella just...standing there."

Yang frowned, "That makes no sense."

A nod answered her, "If I had been older, I would have agreed. I was only nine though...do you know what my name really means?"

Blinking again, all she could do was shake her head. A name having a specific meaning? Other than the 'color' rule anyway?

"'One Who Protects' or 'Number One Protector'," Ichigo explained, "Take your pick. I took that to heart, and that was why I was training in the first place...I wanted to protect everyone close to me. But when I saw that girl, all I could think was 'I should help her'. Because she looked like she was going to jump into the river. So I ran away from Mom, trying to grab her and pull her from the river."

Listening to this, Yang felt a small chill run down her spine. Ichigo's voice had grown more and more flat as he spoke. The only times she had ever heard his voice go flat was talking about something painful...which had only happened a couple times before. There could be nothing good in this story, and she had a feeling she knew what was coming.

_This must be...when she died. Oh...Ichigo..._

"I still don't know exactly what happened," his voice didn't change tone, though there was noticeable pain now, "all I know is I woke up...with Mom on top of me, bleeding badly. I tried shaking her, begging her to wake up. But..."

The orangehead trailed off, clearly uncomfortable continuing.

Not that Yang could very well blame him for that. At least when she had thought Mom was dead she hadn't had to _see_ it. She could only imagine what it must have been like to wake up with his mom on top of him like that. No wonder Ichigo didn't like talking about his mother if he saw her die in front of him like that. Even if he hadn't actually _seen_ the event, he had certainly had to see her dead in front of him. It was a miracle he was as well-adjusted as he was really. That being said...she could easily understand why he was so determined to find and kill the one who had murdered his mother. No kid should have to see that, and it wouldn't be surprising for a lot of anger to build up over the years.

At least he wasn't blaming himself for it.

"That's why I want to find who did it," the other teen finished.

"Jeez Ichigo...that's..."

Before Yang could finish talking, a gasp came from her sister.

"Sis! Mom's waking up!"

Understandably, Yang's thoughts went in a totally different direction at that shout. She moved quickly to her sister and mother, not noticing the small- sad -smile return to Ichigo's face. Her eyes were only for the woman in front of her, silver eyes opening slightly. Summer Rose groaned, and shifted slightly in her position on the ground. If Mom was waking up maybe they could find out what had happened to her?

Even as that thought entered her head, it fled though. It didn't really matter right now what had happened to her mother. It would later, when Yang started wondering what could have kept her away for so many years. But right now, that didn't matter too awful much. What mattered, was that she had her mother back and that the woman was waking up. Everything else could wait. Nothing else really mattered to her right now, even if the slight worry about Ichigo remained in the back of her head. Because simply put...

_Mom's back. Does anything else really matter right now?_

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

**"Kingy...it's a hurricane in here. Mind cutting the water works?"**

_"You know as well as I do that he cannot do anything about this."_

**"Yeah yeah...still, I don't like feeling like a fuckin drowned rat."  
**

_"While I hardly agree with the vulgar language, you are correct. Nonetheless, Ichigo is well within his rights to feel as he does. It cannot be easy to see them so happy, knowing he can never be the same."  
_

**"Not true actually. Ya know that killing that bastard will free her soul." **

_"Perhaps, but we would have to find him first. And even then, we would then have to find her soul as well, and she may have no memories. This all has to also take into account..." _

**"That we're stuck on Remnant, yeah, I know."  
**

It was a sign of just how _out of it_ he was that Ichigo didn't bother commenting on the running conversation his Zanpakutō was having. While he hadn't said any lies to Yang, he hadn't been entirely truthful either. Sitting here, watching the sisters anxiously hovering over their groaning mother, was like a spike being driven home to his heart. He shouldn't be feeling jealous. He shouldn't be anything but happy they had Summer Rose back, since it meant Ruby and Yang would be better than they had been in _years_. At least, he would assume so since he had only known them for a couple months...even if they had managed to worm their way- along with Blake and Weiss -into his life way more than the short time would indicate.

For all that though, he still felt a twinge of jealousy and _way_ more than a twinge of sadness at the sight. It would have been impossible not to, really. Losing his mother the way he had was scarring, however much Ichigo may not actually show as much. His sisters were too young to really remember it, but both of them still _showed_ that they did. Karin _only_ cried when something reminded her of Mom. Goat-Chin, on the other hand, had not actually seen what happened, and despite losing the love of his life, that did insulate him somewhat.

Ichigo...he had seen his mother, felt her bleeding onto him. Felt her cold body in the rain, as he cried over it. You just...didn't get over that, no matter how much time may have passed.

_"Can you two keep it down?" _he finally managed to get out.

_"Of course,"_ the Quincy answered promptly.

**"Fine,"** Zangetsu's Hollow portion was rather more annoyed.

Not that the teen could bring himself to care about that, of course.

"R...Ruby?" a weak voice got his attention away from his spirits however.

Because Summer had finally opened her eyes fully, as her young(er) daughter clutched onto her tightly. Her voice was very weak though...weak and strained, like it hadn't been used in years. Considering her situation...that might very well be the case too.

"Mom!" Ruby didn't seem to care, as she flung her arms around the older woman, the two nearly identical in this situation, "I missed you so much! Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Whoa there sis," Yang smiled, though it was weaker than usual, "slow down."

"Yang?" this time, Summer turned to her older daughter, "You're both...here?"

There was a noticeable hesitation on 'here'. Then again, if she had amnesia it was easy to believe Summer might not know where she was. Granted, she seemed to remember her daughters perfectly well.

_It's a good thing she does. I don't think I could deal with her not remembering them._

Ichigo hadn't seen Yang totally broken before. But the way she had talked about her mother and the hope he had seen in her eyes when they found that picture had...well, if Summer didn't remember them he didn't want to think about it. He also didn't put much stock into the fact that he thought about _Yang_ instead of Yang _and_ Ruby.

Speaking of the blonde...

"Yeah, we're both here Mom," she grinned wider now, "thanks to Ichigo. I never thought we'd find you y'know."

The older woman blinked slowly, "Ichigo?"

"Come over here," Yang waved at him.

Sighing slightly, the teenager did as asked. Even if he would have much preferred not doing so...this was very private thing he was being brought into. It really should have been just the sisters and their mother, not him too.

"Yo," he said, with a hint of discomfort in his voice until Yang punched his arm lightly.

Summer smiled weakly, "You...helped me?"

"Well, helped find you," Ichigo scratched his neck nervously.

Yang just elbowed him, "Stop being so humble you."

Glaring at his friend, Ichigo heard a weak laugh from Summer and Ruby. In one case, because _she_ was weak...even he could tell that, because Summer's Aura was horribly depleted...it was a miracle the woman was alive. In the latter case, because Ruby was probably quite overwhelmed with everything going on right now. Hell, _he _was overwhelmed, and this wasn't even _his_ mother!

_How they're holding together is beyond me. Damn it, I'm not good at this..._

**"Well, at least you've got blondie holding your hand. That's somethin!"**

With a start, Ichigo looked down and realized his Hollow was correct. Yang's hand was on his own, and he _really _doubted the blonde even realized that fact. As soon as he did though, his face took on a curious shade of red, almost like his _other_ namesake.

Shaking it to get those thoughts out of his head, Ichigo focused again on Summer. Who was wincing slightly, her free hand- the other in a patented Ruby death-grip -holding to her dirty and matted hair. She was clearly in pain, that much was obvious.

"Wh...where are we?" she got out, "And where is Tai...Tai..."

As she stumbled over the name she was trying to say- _who is she talking about? _-Summer's hand clenched her hair so much it went bone-white. The woman grimaced, her eyes shut in pain as she struggled to remember what she was trying to ask. Even if the woman wasn't _his_ mother, Ichigo felt a stab in his chest at the sight. He couldn't imagine what the sisters had to be feeling, considering how Yang had spoken of her mother. Super-mom...great at fighting and being a mother, the light of their lives. Who both of the girls had always looked up to. Just like how Ichigo had looked up to his own mother, if without the _fighter_ bit, since he had never known his kind and doting mother was a Quincy.

Well, he did have some idea of how they felt. Yang's grip on his hand went just as tight as Summer's. And Ruby had tears filling her big silver eyes. And seeing that _never_ became easy.

"You mean dad?" Yang still managed to talk with something resembling her normal tone of voice though. She really _was_ stronger than any woman he had met before.

"Yes," Summer replied, opening pain-filled silver eyes, "Why can't...I remember?"

"Mom..." Ruby muttered, leaning down to hold the older woman tighter, "are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm not honey," she replied, somehow managing a smile.

"But we've finally found you!"

Her mother managed to free a hand, and ran it through Ruby's short hair. Ichigo could see a familiarity in the action...Ruby leaned into the touch, while Summer moved more calmly than she had since he first saw her, jumping through the trees as he came down from firing his Getsuga. Even that didn't take away from the seriousness of the situation however.

Because the arm she used to do it was way too thin. Ichigo wasn't a doctor like the old man, as he was prone to point out. But it was impossible to live in a clinic and not pick up some things. And Summer was clearly not healthy, even leaving aside the clear amnesia. How had she survived this long, all alone? And why hadn't she tried to find civilization, or at least some help?

_How bad _is_ her amnesia? Where's goat-chin when you need him?_

Of course, Ichigo knew the answer to that question...outside, making sure Grimm didn't find them. Summer's scratched and dented sword was leaning against a wall, but she was clearly in no shape to fight right now. And protecting her would not be easy against the amount of Grimm in the Badlands, not at all.

"Yes you did," Summer's voice was soft, is still weak, as she looked at both her daughters, "I'm...so sorry..."

Yang finally removed her hand from Ichigo's, to set it on her mother's free hand, "For what Mom?"

"Leaving you two all alone. I...don't remember...but I shouldn't have done it. I..."

"It wasn't your fault," Ruby shook her head quickly, "Right?"

That was directed at Yang, and Ichigo...who felt out of his depth, to say the least.

As such, all he could say was, "Yeah. Whatever happened to her had to be bad."

"Ichigo," Yang punched him lightly again, "What he means to say, is that it can't have been your fault Mom. You would have come back if you could...did you even remember us before we showed up?"

Summer had tears in her eyes, as she shook her head with a slight wince, "No...I can't believe I forgot my beautiful babies...but no."

When she said that, the older Huntress pulled her hand away from Yang's and the other from Ruby's hair. She cupped both her daughter's faces, smiling as best she could.

"I would never leave you two alone," she continued, tears freely flowing from the silver eyes that were so much like her daughter's, "I _could_ never leave you. Ruby, Yang...you're my world. I...can't remember what I was doing. I can't remember why I would forget, or how I could ever stay out here instead of coming home. Leaving you all alone...it..."

Ruby smiled, as she took her mother's hand and held it to her chest, "I don't blame you Mom! You're back now aren't you?"

"Yeah, you're back now," Yang agreed, "That's all that matters."

_Seriously_ beginning to feel as if he was intruding on a private conversation, Ichigo took advantage of the distraction to slip away. It wasn't his place to sit with the sisters right now. They needed the time alone with their mother, especially as Summer looked pained every time she talked or tried to think about anything but the girls right in front of her. Clearly, she was going to need a lot of time to recover. If she ever really did recover. Ichigo had seen amnesia patients before, and they always had a lot of difficulty recovering memories. If they ever did...there were some he could remember his old man telling that he couldn't help. Remnant had better medical technology than Karakura had...but that didn't mean it was perfect.

And right now, he really didn't want to be the one to tell the sisters that their mother may never remember how she got out here, and why she didn't return. It was going to be a touchy subject no matter what way you sliced it. Even though right now, as he looked back, the family was just happy and overjoyed to be back together. That wouldn't last...if only because he was _quite_ familiar with Yang's curiosity by now. She was eventually going to want to find out what had happened, if only to go out and punch to death whatever hurt her mother. And if Summer never recalled that...

Well, it wasn't a pretty thought.

"They seem happy," Isshin's voice spoke up, as the former Captain leaned against the entrance.

"Gah!" Ichigo barely kept his voice down, "Damn it old man, don't do that."

"Do what?" his father asked innocently.

Grumbling about annoying old men, Ichigo stood next to Isshin, "When did you get back anyway?"

"Few minutes ago," he shrugged, "early enough to see how you went over there. I'm telling you my boy, she likes you."

"Yeah right," the teen denied the point, even as he felt his face flush.

Isshin grinned at that, "Looks like the feeling's mutual. About time my son!"

Punching his father in the jaw, Ichigo did his best to ignore that comment. Isshin just rubbed his bearded chin, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"Leaving that aside though...how bad is it?"

It didn't take a genius to know what he was asking about.

"Bad," Ichigo sighed softly, "She doesn't even remember her husbands name. She didn't even remember Ruby and Yang until seeing them."

"That is bad," Isshin scowled remarkably like his son, "She'll need a lot of treatment when we get back. Speaking of which, get some sleep Ichigo. I'll stand watch for now...but we need to leave in the morning. The longer we stay out here, the more Grimm show up."

Not even trying to deny that point, Ichigo just nodded and moved to lay down. The soft voices of the sisters and their mother worked to lull him to sleep, as his father watched the exit of the cave...howls of Grimm still heard in the distance...

* * *

**AN: And there we go. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**

**And I'm in shock at the reception to the last one...43 reviews? That jumps us over _510_. This is my most reviewed story by a decent amount now, especially considering the relatively small amount of chapters.**

**On that subject...**

**Reviews:**

**Krazyfanfiction1, Gravenimage, pltgrst, MEleeSmasher, Tleron, The Digger92, Tracer28, PersonaQeminod1, gatesofhellkeeper, desdelor97, Pedro52, jackpotdante, hollowichigo12, yiggdrasill, Arcangel1342, Moot Point, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, Ranmaleopard, hebihanshu123352, JJN37, NugiSpringield, CracktheSkye, thisisCMpunk, Cebu3000: **Thanks for the reviews! And I swear, this segment gets longer each chapter...which is a good thing, for sure.

**Assault Godzilla:** Kubo really seems to be throwing _everyone_ in doesn't he?

As for this story, yeah, it's going to be interesting when they get back, that's for sure.

**humbertorojo96:** Did I say he was gunning for King Quincy? Ichigo doesn't know about him...note that he isn't treating his Quincy powers any differently than his Hollow here.

So far as he knows, it was all Grand Fisher that killed Masaki.

**Ultimate Black Ace:** Glad you like the story!

Yeah, Ichigo's power is a _very_ fine line. I'm trying to balance here, and it's good to know I'm doing well there. It's arguably almost as hard as keeping everyone in character really.

**Seigogerman:** Yes, he will. When, I can't say though without spoilers.

**RagingEntity:** He might have picked up tricks like that, yes.

**liberty86:** Summer has a role to play for sure. Though she's not going to recover quickly.

**Straider:** Yeah, I agree for the most part. It's why I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending of the last chap.

**hipascal25:** Mr. Schnee? I'm avoiding doing anything with Weiss' family till we have more information personally. I'm clearly okay with bending canon (hello Summer)...but I don't want to take it too far either.

**freechimchangas:** Isshin will probably get some training in. But I wouldn't expect RWB(I)Y to start throwing Kido around either.

**Natzo:** It was the latter. He wanted to deal with the Ursa himself, and would have oneshot it easily enough. But Ruby and Yang had to jump in the way...and he wasn't going to risk hurting them.

**Ultimate Warrior of Zera:** That hasn't changed actually. Sensing Grimm themselves is still not going to work.

_But_.

He also established that Grimm have a dark taint worse than even Hollows that they leave around. The larger the concentration/larger the Grimm...the more noticeable the taint. It's not a perfect way to sense them, but it works to some extent.

**Fifth Horseman:** Yeah, there is going to be a little conflict there. Not much in the overwhelming joy, but it will exist.

Ruby's 'crush or no crush?' is something that's still being debated on in my notes really. I'm not sure how much role it may, or may not, play.

**Mazamba:** That's the general assumption, and canonically is probably accurate. But hey, breaks from canon for the sake of the story sometimes need to be there.

**Aerowind Kinomoto:** I'm not worrying about it _too_ much. But I still don't want to go too AU if I can avoid it. Luckily, other than Summer, most of the potential breaks are still a ways off so I shouldn't have to worry too much.

**SilverstormXD:** Eh? Them finding her so easily or just Summer being alive in general?

As above, I do admit to it being faster than anticipated.

**TheMAO17:** She'll eventually move into the 'older brother' opinion, yes. I'm not a fan of hurting characters if I can avoid it myself. And as above, the 'crush' may or may not come to anything anyway.

Ichi/Ruby was the second option I had, since I think it could be cute. In the end, Ichi/Yang won out though...because I like the potential. We'll see how that develops.

**AN: Thanks again for the reviews everyone! I hope you all like the chapter. Next time we'll get back to the Clinic...and bring back our missing teammates. Fun times ahead.**

**That being said, there are only one (or two) chapters left in this Arc. Then we get back to V2...which will be fun.**


	18. Return

**AN: We're back! I apologize for the delay everyone. I started working and that took a major blow to my free time. Hope everyone's okay with that...  
**

**But we're here now, and as I adjust to the new schedule, I can hopefully update on time from now on.**

* * *

**Ruby Rose  
**

* * *

_Mom's back!_

That was about the extent of the thought process of Ruby Rose at that moment in time. Even as she held Crescent Rose in front of her while Isshin and Yang carefully carried her mother on a makeshift stretcher. Mom was out cold, something that still made Ruby worry a bit despite the happiness in her heart. But according to Ichigo's dad, it was just because she was so weak. Of course, seeing her mother so weak wasn't really good for the young girl either. She didn't really remember Mom all that well...not like Yang. What she did remember was her standing tall and ruffling her hair, just like Yang did. Seeing Mom being carried by her sister and her friend's father like that...

It was understandable that she focused more on the happy thoughts. Just having Mom back, for example was way more than enough to buoy Ruby's spirits to a very large extent. Even if she was hurt or sick, she was _alive_ and coming back with them. Even though they were still in the thick of potential Grimm ambushes, Mom was with her. And she had one of the people she trusted the most next to her, in the form of Ichigo Kurosaki. Her older friend had his own swords drawn, eyes sharp as he looked around. Ruby doubted she had ever seen him quite this serious. He wasn't like her to begin with...not that Ichigo wasn't fun, but he was a lot more serious.

Now though...

"Where are all the Grimm," Ichigo muttered, hands gripping his blades tightly.

"Maybe they're scared of you?" Ruby suggested, grinning widely, "You are kinda scary when you fight."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the orangehead smiled slightly, "Seriously though, they didn't have any problems attacking earlier. I don't like it."

"Did we kill all the ones around here?" tapping her chin, the dark-haired girl looked around at the dark trees.

Ichigo shook his head, "Somehow I doubt that. Grimm are worse than bugs, there's always more."

"Bugs?" she didn't even try to fight back a giggle at the idea of a cockroach Grimm.

Her friend seemed to think the same thing, as his smile didn't leave like it normally would. On the other hand though, Ruby didn't deny that he had a right to be worried. Grimm really didn't leave people alone or vanish.

"I'm just worried they're going to ambush us," he continued, voice low, "we've got a rather big target back there. And not even the old man can fight while carrying someone. So it'd be just us two...that's why I'm worried. Grimm would normally swarm us if we were stuck in this situation. Especially out here...so the fact they _haven't_..."

"Makes you worried they want to ambush us?" Ruby couldn't help the dubious tone to her voice.

The other teen shrugged, "Grimm can be smart...sometimes."

"Yeah, but most of the time they're stupid! Like, it isn't hard to make them run towards something! Or fire, they _hate_ fire!"

Waving her hands wildly to emphasize her point, Ruby almost took Ichigo's head off with her scythe. The orangehead ducked almost lazily, raising an eyebrow slightly. Ruby had the good grace to blush...this wasn't the first time she had done that. Her excitement always _had_ gotten the better of her really...at least Ichigo seemed more amused than annoyed.

Weiss would probably have told her off.

"Look at this," Ichigo spoke softly, shrugging the arm of his uniform off, to show a scar along his shoulder.

"Ow!" Ruby blinked, eyes widening.

The other teen just scowled grimly, "Beowolf did that during initiation. Older Grimm can be damn persistent and smarter than they look. Never underestimate them."

"But you're so..." the girl frowned, "Awesome!"

"Thanks," Ichigo smiled slightly, "But I'm being serious here."

Even if he was, it was _not_ easy for Ruby to think of anything but a monster Grimm hurting Ichigo. He had _played_ with Torchwick! Surely Grimm couldn't do anything to him. But even as she thought that, her eyes drifted to where Yang and Isshin were carrying Mom on the makeshift stretcher. She would have thought the same of her mother, but clearly something had gone wrong out here. Who was she to say that Ichigo wasn't telling the truth? Her own experience wasn't exactly long. She didn't think _his_ was either, not really. But Ichigo's father seemed to know Grimm, and if he had taught him...

Maybe he was right?

"What are you two talking about?" Yang's voice broke in, softer than normal.

Ruby looked back at her sister, "Nothing!"

Ichigo's brow went up, "We're talking about Grimm. Speaking of which, sense anything old man?"

"Of course I do," Isshin replied, carefully monitoring Summer, "it's impossible to tell how many here though."

With a slight shudder, the youngest member of the group agreed to that. Ruby was firmly average in sensory abilities from the people she had seen do it...but even she could feel the cloying darkness of the Grimm. It had never left, not since they entered the forest. She could only imagine what Ichigo and his father had to be feeling, considering they were so much better at it...

Wait.

"You hear that right?"she asked, looking at her friend.

"Oh yeah..." Ichigo nodded, Zangetsu glowing slightly, "We've got company!"

"I can't fight and keep an eye on her at once! This is up to you two!" Isshin called back, somehow managing to hold his end of the stretcher with one hand and draw Engetsu with the other.

"Great," his son groused.

Ruby just grinned at him, spinning Crescent Rose as Grimm began charging into the clearing. Just as the other battles, it began with the basic Beowolves. The canine Grimm were by far the most common type out there, and they never stopped making that abundantly clear. Dozens of the things ran headlong at the little group, angling to get past Ruby and Ichigo, to get to her mom. Now, let it be known that Ruby did not have a temper. But seeing Grimm heading for the mother she had just gotten back...

_NO!_

It was little surprise when she flashed into her Semblance, blade spinning through the air. Her baby cut through Grimm, limbs flying around her as she swung it in every direction her lithe body could manage. Bullets added to the chaos, shell casings falling with the rose petals, as the Huntress-in-training cleaved through Grimm after Grimm. She didn't even notice her scythe cutting dark flesh, other than to move it past as the red hunks of meat fell to the ground behind her. Ruby was in the zone...as she pulled her blade underneath a 'wolves neck and fired a round. The recoil pulled the body and head of the Grimm apart, as Ruby flew with the force of it.

Twisting her body to avoid the swipes of another Grimm's claws, she grinned with the adrenaline rush running through her body. Her twist put Crescent Rose right in the face of a _massive_ Beowolf, clearly an Alpha. It opened its massive jaws wide, blood red eyes shining at the idea of biting into her side. Ruby didn't give it the chance...as she pulled the trigger on the rifle portion of her scythe. A bullet lanced forth, punching through the roof of the Grimm's mouth and out the top of its otherwise thick skull. The Grimm started dissolving immediately, falling to the ground as Ruby spun around and decapitated another.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo's voice shouted, as a crescent of blue energy blew a crater in the ground...along with six of the Grimm.

"Nice!" Ruby grinned, as she jumped over said crater, landing atop a Grimm.

The creature roared up at her, as the young girl brought her Scythe down to cut it in half. As the two halves fell to the ground, Ichigo 'popped' into existence next to her. If she hadn't been used to it by now, it might have startled her. As it was, Ruby was well-used to Ichigo's abilities.

"There's no way the big boys didn't hear that," the other teen noted, as he almost casually brought his shorter blade into a crawling Beowolf.

Ruby nodded, "Yeah."

A roar split the two apart, as an Ursa charged right through where they had been standing. Crescent Rose and Zangetsu both flashed in the somewhat dim light, cutting through both sides of the Grimm. Unsurprisingly, the Ursa let out a pitiful wail, and fell to the ground. It was a sign however...a sign of more Grimm coming to the clearing.

"Told you they were going to ambush us!"

Pouting slightly at Ichigo, Ruby ran up the side of a tree, landing on a high branch. Crescent Rose retracted into its sniper rifle form, as the teenager aimed down the sight. Her orangehaired friend was doing a spectacular job of keeping Grimm attention on himself and off his father. Who, himself, was doing a good job of shooting Grimm with that _awesome_ Kido thing. Yang hadn't moved from next to Mom, clearly unwilling to let her be hurt. Ruby grinned at that...her sister was so protective! And in this case...so was she. Turning her sight from her sister, Ruby pulled back the bolt on her weapon and began firing herself. The Grimm scattered, as two- an Ursa and a strange crawling type with only two legs -fell with holes through their skulls.

She may have preferred up-close-and-personal fighting, but Ruby Rose was no slouch in ranged combat. Leaping out of the tree, she fell to the ground, rifle-end first. More bullets lanced out as quickly as she could cycle the bolt of her weapon, punching massive bloody holes in Grimm. Yang's suggestion to load explosive rounds was proving quite helpful! But even as she landed, Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine. Coinciding with that, came howls from the remaining Grimm. Something that could only mean _one_ thing...

"Oh damn it..." Ichigo groaned, landing next to her once more.

And Ruby couldn't blame him for his reaction. The Grimm running meant that another super-Grimm was coming...and they didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. And this time...it would just be her and Ichigo fighting. Ruby didn't _want_ the other two helping...they needed to keep Mom safe!

_That's a big Grimm..._

Though that didn't mean she was looking forward to the sound of crashing trees. Looking at the source of the noise, the young girl felt a drop of sweat roll down her face. This...

"Well, that's a new one," Ichigo deadpanned.

"Yup..."

Standing in the clearing it had just bulldozed, was an utterly _massive_ Grimm. Bigger than even the Ursa they had fought on their way into the Badlands, this Grimm was a type that Ruby had never even seen before. It's elongated jaw reminded her of a Nevermore's beak...but it was wider, and full of _very_ sharp teeth. Very sharp teeth that were as long as her forearm, in fact, and wickedly curved. Feathers sprouted in place of the typical fur, covering what looked like pitch black scales along the Grimm's massive flanks. Equally massive arms were held out from its broad chest, terrifying talons matched only by the ones on its feet on the fingers. Toss in a powerfully built tail, and it was a _terrifying _sight, even for her.

"It's a damn dinosaur..."

Not knowing what a 'dinosaur' was, Ruby could only smile slightly at Ichigo's voice. Grounding herself in the knowledge she had backup, Ruby felt her old self returning. Why would she let a Grimm scare her? This was a fight!

"Yaaah!"

As such, she jumped into the air, firing Crescent Rose to send her higher. If the Grimm had terrible talons, then she shouldn't let it get her with them. Unfortunately, she miscalculated...considering all her leap did was put her at eye level. The monster Grimm roared, the sound unlike anything she had heard before. Ruby couldn't help the slight flinch, and saw Ichigo do the same out of the corner of her eye. She recovered quickly however, bringing up Crescent Rose on instinct. A bullet shot forth, into the Grimm's open maw. A tooth flew out, along with a spray of blood. All it did was annoy the monster, who roared once more and charged forward. Instead of knocking trees aside with those scary arms like an Ursa, the Grimm instead leveled its body out straight, the head angling right at her as it ran forward at top speed.

_Eeep!_

Ruby pushed into her Semblance, flashing out of the way of those massive, gaping jaws. She landed in a tree, as the Grimm shook its head, the red eyes indicative of its race staring for her, surrounded by the thick white bone of its armor. Rolling around, the eye finally zoned in on _her_, staring right into her own silver ones. There was _anger_ in that eye, an intelligence she had never seen out of a Grimm before. And as it turned that massive skull right at her, Ruby knew it was going for _her_, not anyone else.

"Heh...heh..."

Firing more bullets at the Grimm, Ruby winced slightly as it didn't even slow down. Crescent Rose had a large bore, and more than powerful enough bullets for anything smaller than a Nevermore. Which this Grimm was just as big as...and even angrier. Jumping into another tree, Ruby did something that a professor would probably call stupid...

She flashed into her Semblance and brought Crescent Rose's blade down on the back of the Grimm. It roared in mixed anger and agony, as the incredibly sharp blade of her weapon cut into its back. Blood flew from the wound, as Ruby rolled away when the monster bucked its back to dislodge her. She landed on a tree and readied to attack again, only for Ichigo to flash in front of her.

"Let me handle this."

"I can fight!" Ruby protested.

Ichigo just turned around, the most serious look she had ever seen on his face staring at her, "Let me. Please."

It went against everything in the girl...but she did as asked. She was going to fight if Ichigo couldn't handle it...but she knew this was just him being himself. Always overprotective.

_I'm still shooting it though!_

Even as she made that choice, Ichigo flashed in front of the furious Grimm. The monster turned its massive red eyes on him, almost daring the teen to attack it. Ruby couldn't see anything but his back from the angle she was at, but she could see Ichigo's shoulders tense, as he reached a hand up towards his head. The girl wondered what that was for...before a rush of _black and red_ energy started swirling around her friend. It was nothing like the blue she was familiar with...what she had long since identified as Ichigo's Aura. And this energy felt...dark. It was hard to tell with the overwhelming Grimm taint all around, but it didn't feel like _Ichigo_, but for a small portion.

"What the hell!" Yang shouted from down below.

Ruby agreed with her sister.

**"Time to finish this,"** Ichigo's _voice_ was different...almost double-toned.

The Grimm seemed to realize something was up, as it roared before backing up, observing the teen in front of it instead of just charging at him. Ruby took advantage of that distraction- even as she wondered what was going on herself -and fired another brace of bullets into the monster. The Grimm roared in pain again, before turning to attack _her_. Clearly she had its attention still.

**"Getsuga ****Jūjishō."**

Only for two equally black crescents of energy to cut its head from its body. Ruby blinked in shock, looking between the Grimm and her friend, who still had his back turned, as he reached a hand to his face once more. Black energy flew from said hand, before he turned around, a tired smile on his face.

"Well, that's done. We should get moving before more turn up."

"What was that!" Ruby countered, "I've never seen you..."

Ichigo scratched his head, "My...Semblance. Come on, we really do need to get moving."

Not denying that point, Ruby was still bursting with questions. She _had_ to find out how Ichigo did that. Even if it was his Semblance, it was so unlike anything else she had seen from him so far. Just what was he really capable of? And was he always holding back like that? The questions were running through her head with all the grace of a rampaging Grimm...and she didn't know what to make of the situation.

Sneaking a look at her sister, she saw the exact same expression she was sure was on her own face. Yang though...she was closer to Ichigo than anyone. And Ruby knew her sister was going to be pressing their mutual friend for answers the moment they got back to his home. It almost made her feel sorry for the other teen. _Almost_...because she was going to be doing the same thing.

_I want to know how he did that!_

* * *

**Weiss Schnee**

* * *

"So...how exactly does Ichi-nii stay with you?"

"Ichi...nii?"

"It's an honorific. 'Nii-chan' would be the full one. Older brother."

"I seriously wonder what this language is."

"Agreed."

"Well? How does he?"

Shaking her head slightly, Weiss wondered if it had been a good idea to track down Ichigo's family on the off-chance they knew where he- and by extension the sisters -had vanished off to. It wasn't the first time she had wondered that either. The two sisters in the house, younger than even Ruby, had been full of questions since she and Blake had first arrived. Well, at least the younger twin had been. Karin Kurosaki seemed rather laid-back, talking almost as deadpan as Blake most of the time. And her Faunus friend had compared her to a female Ichigo with good reason. _Yuzu_ Kurosaki, on the other hand, had constant questions about Beacon and her brother. Oddly specific questions really.

Weiss was wondering what was going on in that girl's head. Honestly, it wasn't like they all did...things...with the one male member of the team. Sure, they slept in the same room. And went to classes together. And trained together. And...

Okay, so maybe they did spend all their time together. But Ichigo only had eyes for Yang, even if neither of the fools had realized it yet. He certainly wasn't a pervert taking advantage of his teammates. After all, if he tried something that stupid Weiss would have beaten him senseless for it. So would Blake and Yang, though Ruby would probably have just been confused by it.

_And yet, his sister seems almost jealous._

"He just stays in his own part of the room," Weiss explained more patiently than she felt, "he only really talks with Ruby and Yang normally anyway. Your brother is not talkative."

"He really isn't," Blake nodded.

Karin just snorted, "Yup, that's Ichigo all right."

Yuzu still looked unconvinced though, "But why doesn't he have his own room?"

"All the teams share rooms, regardless of gender," the Faunus of the group explained, "Our friends, team JNPR, are two men and two women. Ichigo was just..."

"Unlucky enough to be stuck with four women?" Karin suggested.

"More or less, though I wouldn't call it unlucky."

Another snort came from the black-haired sister, "Ichigo would never agree with you."

"Well, he's too thick-headed."

A sniff came from Weiss as she said that. If she were actually _attracted_ to the lughead, she would be almost annoyed by his thick-headedness in that regard. He blushed like a child every time someone pointed out that he was staying with four attractive members of the opposite gender. It was why she doubted that Yuzu had anything to worry about- even if she was mildly disturbed by how interested the younger girl seemed to be in her brother's life. Ichigo would never be the first to act on anything revolving around women, especially his teammates. Which was why it was a good thing that the Heiress wasn't attracted to him in the slightest.

"Leaving aside Ichigo's living arrangements," Blake continued, "Do you know when he will be back?"

"No..." Yuzu looked distinctly put out by that.

"Probably soon," Karin just shrugged easily.

The contrast between the sisters was almost maddening.

"You are the best at sensory abilities," the Faunus turned to her white-haired friend, "Are they nearby?"

Blinking, Weiss focused on what her friend had sarcastically called her 'Kurosaki Sensor'. She could feel Blake easily enough. The sisters felt like Ichigo, but different in subtle ways...probably similar to how Ruby and Yang felt nearly the same at times. Though Yuzu felt...very weak.

As for their brother...

"He's heading in this direction," Weiss relayed, opening her eyes...unaware she had even shut them.

"Close?"

"I can't tell. They're doing that trick again."

Blake had the grace to shuffle uncomfortably at that. Weiss was still bitter about the hiding trick since it rendered the one thing she had over the others rather moot. It was still a sticking point that she hadn't figured out what her 'special power' was.

"Ichigo should be back in a few minutes," Karin spoke up.

"How do you..." Weiss asked.

Karin looked right at her, "You aren't the only one who can sense him. He's only a few blocks away."

It _would_ make sense that someone related to Ichigo would be far better at sensing where he was. Even if it was another blow to the Heiresses pride. She could push that aside for the moment though. Because right now, she was _far_ more interested in grilling the other teenager on just where he had vanished off to in the first place. And why he had felt the need to drag along both of the sisters with him. _His_ siblings hadn't answered that question, so Blake and Weiss were still just as much in the dark as they had been when they left Beacon. Which got on the latter's nerves, as she was still annoyed by the fact this was the _second_ time she had been left in the dark on something involving her team. And this despite the fact they had all agreed _not_ to do that ever again.

Understandable that she would be a bit frustrated, really.

"Careful!" Yang's voice broke her from those thoughts, however.

"I've got the door!" Ruby's sounded strained...which was odd in itself.

"Yuzu, Karin! Prep the clinic!" a deep male voice shouted, presumably Ichigo's mysterious father.

As the twins split to do just that, Weiss and Blake watched as the missing member's of their team came into the room. Ruby was the first, with leaves sticking out of her hair at odd places. Ichigo was right behind her, looking haggard as he moved out of the way of the _real_ surprise. Because Yang and a man who was probably Ichigo's father- looked nothing like him though -were carrying a makeshift stretcher. On that stretcher was an older woman, blue dress and tattered white cloak both like and unlike Ruby's signature clothing. That was not the real similarity however.

_She...looks like an older Ruby!_

That was the hair and facial features. While the woman's eyes were shut, her red-black hair was nearly identical to Ruby's, if maybe a shade lighter. That could only mean one thing.

"Is that their mother?" Blake whispered in her ear.

Weiss could only nod slowly, "I believe so. Why would they...how did she...?"

Needless to say, the questions about Ichigo's little jaunt with the others could wait.

"Weiss?" unsurprisingly, he was the first to notice the others though, "Blake? What're you two doing here?"

"Looking for you!" Weiss shot back, her 'nagging' tone returning with full force.

"...why?"

Tossing her ponytail behind her, the Heiress took advantage of the distraction from Ichigo's father carefully carrying the Ruby-look alike into the attached clinic, "You really have to ask that? I thought we agreed...if anything ever came up, we would tell each other. Not just go running off on our own!"

"She has a point..." Ruby sounded unusually...moody.

"Precisely!"

Ichigo just sighed, "We didn't have time. I can explain though."

And with that, the teen went into a long explanation. Of how he had made the suggestion they talk to his father about the sister's evidently missing mothers. How when they did so, they ended up finding a picture of one of them- the one who was in the clinic -in the Badlands. The very _thought_ of venturing out there made Weiss shudder slightly. She was extremely confident in her own skills, but she was _not _ready to go out that far yet. Hell, _none_ of them really were. But yet they did anyway, and managed to come back with Summer Rose in one piece. It didn't take away from her annoyance about not being told in advance- really, it added to it...this was _important!_ -but Weiss could at least somewhat understand now. If they had waited any longer, they might not have found the woman. And that would have utterly crushed the sisters, even if she herself couldn't relate with the lack of a mother in her own life.

The point remained though...at least in the future, they _had_ to be told these things in advance. She was about to say as much, when footsteps drew her attention.

"She should be okay," Ichigo's father interrupted the discussion, "it'll take some time for Summer to recover physically, since she's pretty beat up. Mentally...I'll be honest with you two, she may never fully recover."

Ruby and Yang nodded, though there were still smiles on their faces.

"Thanks for this," the elder sister said.

Ichigo's father just waved his hand, "No problem third daughter. It's the least I can do for Ichigo's girlfriend."

"_Girlfriend_?" Weiss frowned.

"Oh, you two must be the other members of his team!" the man turned, a goofy grin on his face, "Blake and Weiss right? You're just as beautiful as your teammates. My son is a lucky man!"

"Shut up old man!" Ichigo went from worn out to angry rather quickly, as he slugged his father in the stomach...Yang doing the same to his jaw.

Blake blinked, "Are they...always like this?"

Ruby giggled, "Kinda. It's pretty funny actually...Ichigo's father is nothing like him, but he's still amusing. And a lot tougher than he looks."

"Considering he just took a punch from _Yang_," Weiss held back a laugh, "I can agree."

"In all seriousness," the older man stumbled to his feet, rubbing his bearded chin, "I have the situation in hand. Both your father and uncle have been contacted, and should be arriving tonight. I would advise you all to return to Beacon."

"I want to stay with Mom!" Ruby immediately protested.

Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder, "But right now, that would just overwhelm her. I'm sure the old man will keep in touch."

"I will. If anything changes, you will be the first to know."

It was clear that Ruby and Yang were absolutely mutinous at the idea of leaving their mother behind. Weiss could almost understand that too. But at the same time, she also understood the other point. No good making the woman _worse_ when she should be healing. As such, she shared a look with Blake...who nodded back. She understood as well, and was already moving to help push Yang out. Weiss did the same with Ruby, as Ichigo told his father something before he joined them. The sisters struggled, but they didn't have it in them to fight their team. Not when they knew their mother was alive, and in good hands no matter how...strange...the man was.

Right now, they needed to get back to school. Break or no break, the Professors would start asking awkward questions if they didn't return to Beacon as soon as possible.

* * *

**AN: And there we go! And thus the subarc ends. I'm sure people wanted to see Taiyang and Qrow...but I'm trying to save them until I know more on how to write them. According to TVTropes, Monty was supposed to voice the latter...so it's a safe assumption that he's showing up somewhat soon. Unless people _really_ want to see them...in which case, I _could_ do a one-shot side-story of the reunion and just wing it. Let me know.  
**

**And on the subject of that website...I have a Trope Page now! I never expected to reach that particular milestone...none of my other fics have ever even received a rec, let alone a page. That's...humbling, to say the least.**

**The Super-Grimm this time was an original one- no name at the moment, so feel free to suggest one. It's something like a super-sized Raptor, more than a 'Rex.**

**Next chapter will have us at the start of V2. On to the reviews.**

**Reviews:**

**The Digger92, gatesofhellkeeper, xbox432, Gravenimage, Natzo, Neapolittan, spartan-140, Kragh50, Arcangel1342, Chaos-Guard, Telron, desdelor97, Exalted Demi-Soul, yiggdrasill, hollowichigo12, thisisCMpunk, Hollow Saigo No Getsuga Tensho, hebianshu123352, blankfile, duskrider, The Megaevolved Pony, JJN37, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, guest1, guest2, Shisarkage, xxShafferxx:** Thanks for the reviews!

**Deathknight Archlord:** I hope this chapter was good too.

**WildWind1855:** Eh? Summer being alive? Or them finding her?

**Assault Godzilla:** Summer will have more appearances as she heals up. Though I wouldn't call her anything more than a cameo character until at least halfway through V2.

**Fifth Horseman:** No need to apologize, I'm just glad to see you review whenever you can.

I tried to touch on the romance with Weiss there. She noted that Ichigo likes Yang, but would never actually _act_ on it. It's quite likely that Yang would be the first to do anything (perhaps pushed by other members of the team). Especially since I agree with what you said about Ichigo.

**Grinja:** The jury is still out on the crush, honestly. We'll see how that goes.

**Wittedcone495:** If this were Canon!Ichigo, it would be around the Blood War. As it sits, he came to Remnant a _lot_ earlier than that. In age, it would be Blood War...in actual events...*can't say as it would spoil an important plot point*

**TheMAO17:** Oh, we're in agreement on Ichi/Ruby. It'd be cute and a perfectly valid pairing really. I'll admit to being biased for Ichi/Yang since the latter is my favorite character...but her sister could work just as well, at least provided Ichigo is 15.

**PersonaQeminod1:** Taiyang and Qrow...as above, it'll either not happen since I would like waiting for more characterization on those two...or in a oneshot, if readers want it enough. Summer will be baking food once she's better, since I figure it'd be something she'd do to 'return to normal' if you will.

**Dosurdo:** Ichi/Yang will start picking up as we go along. A good chunk of V2 is perfect for advancing that relationship (_hellloooo_ Dance).

**Law77:** Just Ichi/Yang, no harem here.

**hardoraku:** In Ichigo's age, it would be right there. In events, as above...no, but I can't say more than that.

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Next one should be on time...I hope.**

**Unless people want the side-story/oneshot. In which case the next writing on this story will be that by...I dunno, Tuesday or something. Shouldn't effect the next chapter itself I don't think though.**


	19. Return to Beacon

**AN: We're back!  
**

**Sorry for the delay- and shorter than average chapter -everyone. As I started writing this one, I hit a major block. Might have been burnout, felt like it and I have experienced it before. Regardless of what it was though, I figured taking a little break from this and working on other projects was in order...if only to keep from burnout if it was what was going on. On the plus side, that allowed me to revive an old fic, finish my Gundam one (well, finish writing it anyway) and start an entirely new Bleach/Madoka crossover- six chapters of said story written in one week actually - which I hope any fans of said series here take a look at. Could always use more reviews there. **

**Shameless self-plug aside, I really am sorry for how long this took. Now that I've gotten past the block and gotten my stuff in order, we should be back to normal now. If there is another delay, I'll probably kick myself over it. So let's make sure that doesn't happen.**

**Here we go!**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

"I hope you are aware of how much of a risk you took."

"Yeah, I am. Kinda had to do it though."

"I would have preferred you contacted one of your professors first. But I do understand the desire to do things on your own. That being said, do not do something like this without letting a professor know in advance again."

"Got it."

Ichigo watched Professor Ozpin nod at him, before the bespectacled man moved to the next person in line...namely Yang, who looked unusually like a deer in the headlights considering how she normally appeared. It was impossible to hold back a snort at that, though he knew that if the blonde heard him she would beat him silly. And while not many things worried him or scared him, that was _one_ of them. Yang had a hell of a right hook. And a left hook. And a punch in general really. Those fists were the devil incarnate.

**"Expressive. I give it a 4."**

Ignoring his Zanpakutō, Ichigo focused instead on waiting for Ozpin to finish with the sisters. He wanted to get back to the room and lay down for awhile. Being back home had reminded him how nice it was having a bed to sleep in where he _wouldn't_ have his father randomly jumping him. To say he was eager to lay down and take advantage of that would be an understatement. Maybe he could get some sparring in as well. The Badlands had reinforced just how much more dangerous the bigger Grimm truly were...he might not have _needed_ to break out The Mask for that dino-Grimm, but the fact it was even a question of it worried him.

Since he was aware that wasn't even the biggest or strongest monster out there.

"Ichigo?" Ruby's voice broke into his thoughts, making the orangehead shake his...head...slightly.

"Huh?"

"Prof's done," Yang chimed in, "So, back to the room?"

He hadn't realized Ozpin had finished so quickly...

"Well, no point standing around here," Ichigo nodded.

With that said, the group marched out of the office and towards their dorm. Not many other students were in the area as they did so, likely still out on break since classes didn't start up for a couple of days. There were probably more transfer students hanging around than actual students at this point. Ichigo was fairly certain he saw a familiar tail at one point...it was still hard to think of Sun as a student and not a random hitchhiker on a boat. Then again, it was sometimes hard to think of half the people he knew as students.

Case in point...

"Where have you guys been?!"

Nora...

"My place," the teen answered, aware that it was what they had told Jaune.

"That's not what I meant," the excitable girl complained, "I heard you fought all sorts of Grimm!"

_I'm going to kill those two..._

_"It is possible that Blake and Weiss did not mean to let them know."_

**"Or, surprise, they're pissed at Kingy and wanted some payback."**

The latter seemed rather more likely, knowing Weiss' personality. She wasn't a gossip, but if she saw a way to get back at someone who annoyed her, she would totally take it in a heartbeat. That much wasn't hard to understand. Even if it did succeed in annoying the ever loving hell out of Ichigo. Seriously, was it that hard to just accept they wanted to do this alone?

**"Weeeellll...ya did say you all should work together."**

Zangetsu wasn't helping.

"She does have a point," Ren was with Nora as usual, a rather large book in his arms, "I know that your teammates were worried."

Ruby looked down, an embarrassed flush crossing her cheeks, "Was it really that bad?"

"Yes," the other guy was every bit as blunt as Ichigo was...

"Hey, it was our right to do our own thing," Yang by contrast clearly didn't care as much.

"I won't deny that."

Nora on the other hand, would, "But why couldn't you bring _us_ along! That sounded fun!"

Only that manic girl would think that the Badlands would be _fun_. Even Ichigo didn't think that, and he could get behind a good bit of Grimm hunting. Unlike what his father had taught him about Hollows, hunting the Grimm really was the best thing to do. The more of them that were wiped out, the safer everyone was in the long run. He knew he could never make even a dent in their numbers- even if he was the next best thing to immortal, if his father's supposed age was any indication -if only because even clearing the area around Vale was just one part of the world. Frankly, it was probably impossible to get rid of all the Grimm. Didn't mean it wasn't a good goal to work towards though.

And he was getting off-track anyway. Best to get the idea of 'fun' out of Nora's head before she did something stupid. Luckily, Ren was sending his friend every bit as much of a 'are you crazy?' look as Ichigo was.

"That wasn't fun," the orangehead said, "Pretty terrifying actually. Do you have any idea what the Badlands are like?"

The girl's eyes widened, "THE BADLANDS?!"

**"Nice one Kingy."**

"...they didn't mention that part?" Yang blinked.

"No," Ren was looking dumbfounded, which on _him_ was an odd look, "Weiss and Blake merely said you were hunting Grimm."

"No, we were saving our..." Ruby began, before her sister clamped a hand over her mouth. Summer was still a touchy subject.

"Sanity," the blonde covered, "saving our sanity. Ichigo's dad is a bit crazy, so we got him to go do some hunting to get a break. He's a great fighter actually."

While Nora nodded understandingly, though honestly she was almost as bad as the old man, Ren just looked like he didn't believe them. Luckily for Ichigo, he wasn't the type to pry. The other boy was respectful and didn't ask uncomfortable questions. Or questions in general...he was kinda quiet really. Then again, not something to complain about.

"And I kinda just want to go to sleep after that," or meditate, but hey, no point telling those two that.

"Oh..." Nora looked distinctly put-out by that.

Ren just nodded again, "Understandable. Come on Nora, let them get their rest."

"But..."

As the two argued their way down the hall- well, Nora whined and Ren shook his head -Ichigo sighed slightly.

"Nice save," Yang grinned at him.

"I wasn't lying," he shrugged, "you realize how nice it is to sleep without the old man around?"

"He was a bit odd," Ruby nodded understandingly.

"_That_ is an understatement."

Giggles answered that statement, as Ichigo walked into their dorm. He didn't see the other two around, but figured they'd be back soon. With that knowledge in mind, it didn't take him long to hit the bathroom and change into sleep clothes. A bit of sparring and then sleep through to the next morning...yeah, after two days in the Badlands, that sounded _really_ appealing right about now...

* * *

_"It would appear most of the students returned."_

**"What was your first clue?"**

_"You have a point."_

**"It's a miracle, ya say I have a point for once!" **

Once again tuning out the aimless banter of his Zanpakutō spirits, Ichigo could agree with both. The cafeteria was once more full as he sat down to eat lunch, sitting across from Yang. Blake was idly looking through a notebook, while Weiss elegantly ate her meal. The blonde...was forcing Ichigo to duck occasionally, as someone- **"bet it's Nora"** -was throwing fruit into her mouth. It might have annoyed him if it were anyone else since the orangehead _kinda_ wanted to eat his own meal. But he found it difficult to stay annoyed with Yang for any significant amount of time. Especially when she was flashing that grin of hers. Oh lord, he wasn't really...

Shaking his head, Ichigo focused back on his food. And idly wondering where the hell their leader was. Ruby was normally the first to eat, that girl having a stomach that would put Zangetsu's to shame. And considering half that blade was a _Hollow_, that was saying something. Yet, there was not one sign of the girl in sight. It was odd, to say the least. And somewhat worrying...was she planning something?

"Whatcha doin?" Yang's voice distracted him from those thoughts, the blonde leaning over Blake's shoulder.

"Nothing! Just looking over some notes," considering the way the Faunus had acted like a startled cat...that was doubtful. But hey, it wasn't _his_ place to judge someone on secrets, now was it?

"Laaamee," the blonde, by contrast, seemed to believe the excuse, waving Ichigo down to grab another piece of fruit.

The teenager sighed as he did so, "Seriously, how many of those thing's you planning on eating?"

Yang just stuck her tongue out in response. She didn't get a chance to do much more, as Ruby _finally_ showed up...by plopping a massively overstuffed binder on the table.

"...where in the hell...?" Ichigo could only blink in shock at the binder that nearly smashed his fingers.

"Is that my binder?!" Weiss complained.

_That wouldn't surprise me..._

Ruby looked insulted by that insinuation, "I'm not a thief! And I brought this because I spent all morning planning things!"

"Planning what, a coup?" the shinigami deadpanned.

"Heh," Yang snorted in amusement at the idea.

Her sister just pouted, "No! I figured since the new semester starts tomorrow, we should spend today doing something super awesome! The best day ever, in other words. I planned everything out!"

"Exactly what do you mean?" Blake was the voice of reason as usual. Since Ichigo was too busy slamming his head into the table. Ruby's plans rarely went well for him.

"Kicking the semester off with a bang!" Ruby cheered excitedly.

_"Please, don't do it Yang..."_

**"Do what?"**

_"Oh...dear."_

**"Seriously, what the fu..."** Zangetsu trailed off as realization hit him, **"Excuse me while I go find a flagpole to beat my head with."**

Because, as the inner discussion went on, a grin had popped up on Yang's face. And Ichigo Kurosaki was familiar enough with that grin to know what it meant...

"I always kick my semesters off with a..." the blonde paused for dramatic effect, her grin growing so wide it might split her face, "_Yang_! Get it? Guys?"

The only answer she got was Ichigo's face hitting his palm, and a boo in the distance. Well, that and the aforementioned facepalm opening enough room for Nora to throw a tomato into the brawler's face. Yang growled at that, her eyes narrowing at the unrepentant girl across the hall. Ichigo just snorted into his hand, figuring that she _kinda_ deserved that one. Sometimes her puns were amusing, but it was far more often that they were just flat-out cringeworthy. After all, Zangetsu wasn't exactly a fountain of good humor himself and even _he_ felt the need to brain himself with his other half's flagpoles. Something that the Quincy-spirit allowed though wouldn't do himself.

It was almost amusing, if not in the way that Yang would have liked. Granted, Ichigo hadn't told her about what his Zanpakutō really did soo...

"I hate you all," the blonde complained, casually tossing an apple...and hitting Ren, instead of Nora.

Ruby grinned at her sister, "Anyway, with all the exchange students and the tournament at the end of the year...we've got a great semester coming up. But classes are starting back up too...which is why I wanted to do awesome stuff today!"

Weiss looked a bit in shock still, "I'm not sure if I should be proud of you, or terrified of what you have planned..."

"I...don't know if I can participate," Blake looked more than a little leery.

"Our leader's harebrained schemes or not," leave saying that to _Weiss_, "however we spend this day, we should do it as a te..."

Before she could finish, a pie flew across the cafeteria and smashed right into the Heiresses face. Ichigo sighed heavily, and looked over his shoulder. Most of JNPR looked shocked, with Ren outright facepalming. Nora was pointing at her friend, like it made her look any less guilty. Because clearly, it was her. Who else would have had reason to throw a pie over here? Jaune wouldn't do it, because he was too nice. Pyrrha's personality would never allow her to do it. Ren wasn't the type. So it _had_ to be the excitable Nora who threw it.

Surprisingly, Weiss was rather cool about it. Half of the teen expected her to rage and go get a professor. Instead, the girl picked up a pie of her own, and lugged it back at Nora. Who ducked, making the food hit Cardin in the back of the head. The bully jumped to his feet, fists in the air and glare on his face. Ichigo just gave into Zangetsu for once...

**"Throw something at the bastard King! We won't get another chance!"**

And aimed an apple right into the idiot's eye. Cardin fell back slowly and dramatically, crashing into the table. Food went flying in every direction, as the rest of his team grabbed the leader and booked it out of the cafeteria.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

Before Ichigo could register what was happening, food was flying in every direction. Food and Jaune Arc actually...the blonde somehow got thrown into a window. Not questioning it, Ichigo kicked the table he had been sitting at into the air. Projectiles hit the table, as he pulled Yang behind it. A rare smile was on his face, as he looked over at the girl, who was flat out grinning like a predator. She handed him an apple, popping out of cover long enough to throw her own. A distinctly feminine shout meant she probably hit Nora this time. The fact that a spray of pop erupted on the other side of the table reinforced that notion.

"This is great!" Yang gushed.

"Normally I'd be annoyed," Ichigo couldn't dispute that point, "But hey, last day before classes start. Let's have some fun with this!"

"You speak my language Kurosaki," the blonde grinned, grabbing his arm as she pulled herself over the table, "CHARGE!"

Ichigo went along with it, throwing apples as quickly as he could find them. His unnaturally good aim- hey, using the Getsuga Tensho without destroying everything required good aim -meant that ever shot tended to hit someone. He winced as one hit Jaune in the crotch...but moved on again, ducking a retaliatory attack from a rather angry looking Pyrrha. Under the rain of projectiles from the Ichigo/Yang tag-team, most of the students ran for the exit as quick as they could. The exception to that was JNPR.

A staggering Jaune was pulled aside, as Nora and Ren quickly stacked a bunch of tables. Ichigo blinked at the sight, before he saw Nora jump on top of them. That girl...

"I'm queen of the castle!" she started chanting again, complete with an 'evil laugh' straight out of a cheap movie.

**"Whelp, that escalated quickly."**

_"Indeed."_

Of course, since the situation could _always_ get even more over the top, Ichigo heard a stomp behind him. Turning his head, the teen sweatdropped as he saw Ruby perched atop an upturned table, a milk carton in one hand, the other pointing at JNPR. A comically serious expression was on her face, as the girl did so. Knowing her...

"Justice will be swift!" she would be hammy, "Justice will be painful! It will be..._delicious!_"

Milk sprayed everywhere as the short girl crushed it, while the rest of the team- including Yang, making Ichigo spin around in shock -jumped up behind her.

"YEAH!"

Even _Weiss_ was in on it! What in the hell? He had been fine with the food fight, but what was this? A battleground out of a movie?

"Off with their heads!"

...apparently, that was a yes. Ichigo sighed softly, as he looked back at JNPR with a bit of dread. Only to duck as a piece of fruit thrown by an- admittedly impressive- backflip from Jaune nearly nailed his face. He caught a glimpse of other fruit flying his way as well. Pyrrha threw at least three melons in short order, Ren kicked a whole bushel of the things...and Nora _upended a table of them_. There were so many melons flying through the air, that he couldn't see the roof. Where had they even _gotten_ them?

"Yang!"

Turning back to his team, Ichigo saw his leader with a childish grin on her face. A grin mimicked on her sister, as the blonde ran forward, arms extended to the ground...

"Turkey!"

...to grab two turkeys. The roasted birds began glowing yellow as the blonde used the technique he taught her, smashing them together with the grin on her face widening when they didn't even crack. He should have been annoyed that his teaching was being used for such a silly purpose...but hey, at least it _had_ a purpose. And the whole 'couldn't really be annoyed with Yang' thing.

**"Lover boy,"** Zangetsu deadpanned, **"Focus. Melon at nine o'clock!"**

Ichigo blinked, and leaned to the side. Another fruit flew past his face, fast enough that it took a piece of hair with it. Turning around, Ichigo blinked as Pyrrha sent him a grin of her own. He just scowled back, jumping into the air. Beneath the orangehead, Yang was punching melon after melon out of the air, not a single one hitting her. The blonde's grin didn't even fade, as she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Blake's expression more closely mimicked the shinigami's, as she jumped over her partner, a baguette in either hand. Purple light surrounding the bread, as she scythed fruit from the air before Yang could even reach it. The two worked beautifully together, sending the melons away from the rest of the team.

Well, aside from one that Ichigo caught in mid-air, and threw back at it's launcher. Jaune gaped, and ducked out of the way. A sheepish expression crossed his face...before a turkey smashed into it. The blonde sword-fighter was sent flying back into the table-castle, collapsing it all around him. Even Ichigo winced at that...hell, even _Yang_ winced, considering it was her turkey.

**"Nice one blondie!"** Zangetsu was more amused.

Turning away from the collapsing tables, Ichigo's hand snatched a tossed baguette out of the air. Sending a thankful look at Blake, he angled his body towards the ground, right at Pyrrha. If anyone on JNPR was a threat, it was the warrior of the team. She was nearly as good a fighter as anyone he had seen, and it was better to take her out quickly.

Blake seemed to have the same idea, using her Semblance to duck around any attacks sent her way. Pyrrha didn't show any frustration, just concentration lining her face as she slashed through shadow clones. When Blake flipped and landed in front of her, the almost Greek-themed fighter launched forward like her piece of bread was a spear. The Faunus girl didn't react quickly enough to dodge...but didn't have to.

"Not happening!"

Because Ichigo dropped down on the bread, breaking it in half.

"Ichigo!" the dark-haired girl shouted.

"I've got this!" he shouted right back, "Help Yang!"

A nod answered that, as Pyrrha grabbed another piece of bread. Ichigo heard Yang finally get sent down by a rogue melon, but had to focus on his own counterpart first. A high swing from her baguette came down towards his head, forcing the shinigami to bring his own up. Blue light had surrounded him, as he used his not-insubstantial energy reserves to augment the strength of his produce weapon. Where Pyrrha's blow should have shattered it, the stronger bread held. Ichigo pushed back, forcing his 'foe' to give ground. A scowl remarkably like his own took hold on her face, though it was tinged with an eagerness to spar.

He could relate. This was surprisingly fun.

The teen swung his own baguette forward in a sharp slice, that Pyrrha caught and redirected. She then swung up, aiming to hit Ichigo's arm and force him to drop his impromptu weapon. He spun out of the way of that blow, lashing out with his foot instead. He hadn't taken Karate in years, but the old man's training in Hakuda came in handy. As Pyrrha clearly wasn't expecting it, the kick hitting her right in the chest. Most Huntsman used only one technique in combat...a Shinigami's varied techniques could easily confuse.

"Caught ya."

Stumbling to her feet, the redhead raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised, most swordsman do not use hand-to-hand techniques."

"I'm full of surprises."

The smirk on Pyrrha's face made it clear she was eager to test that theory. She leaped forward, her bread stabbing like a spear once more. Ichigo countered with a spin of his own, redirecting the blow and allowing him to punch with his free hand. Pyrrha rotated around the blow, her hair the only thing the orangehead managed to hit. He couldn't help the small smirk crossing his own face...she wasn't considered one of _the_ top fighters in Beacon for nothing. Moving to strike again, Ichigo heard a worryingly pain-filled shout.

"Weiss! NOOOOOO!"

Both teens ground to a halt, turning their heads on instinct. In time to hear a _pillar crash to the ground in pieces_. Ruby was clutching Weiss, even as Yang picked up more turkeys to duel Ren. Nora was in the background, a melon stabbed onto a metal pole.

"Did...did she just break a pillar with Weiss?" Ichigo blinked.

"I believe so," Pyrrha answered, before trying to knock the other teen's baguette away, "Focus!"

Leave it to _her_ to treat this as a real spar. Ichigo just scowled, and continued dueling the redhead. Ruby was just being her usual self...no way was Weiss hurt bad. If she was, the leader would have told them all to stop in a heartbeat. And right now, he was _not_ losing this duel. The two traded blows back and forth...Ichigo would stab forward like he would with Zangetsu, while Pyrrha would block like she would with her spear, before slicing like her sword. Arguably, she was the more versatile swordsman considering her weapon's transformation. But Ichigo had the greater _experience_ and showed it. As the redhead overextended herself, he spun around as fast as he could, tip of the baguette slicing up at her hand.

While it didn't hurt, when the bread impacted her wrist, it sent Pyrrha's baguette flying. A kick knocked her away, allowing Ichigo some breathing room. Breathing room that was promptly gone in a heartbeat, as he saw Nora's impromptu hammer flying at Yang, Ren lying in a heap nearby.

_No!_

That melon-hammer had knocked Weiss into a pillar hard enough to shatter it and knock her out cold. With the way it was angled...

"Yang!"

Flashing into his best shunpo, Ichigo popped in front of Yang, ignoring Nora's shocked stare as he felt the _thud_ of the melon hitting square in his chest. Even with his attempt to brace himself, that girl hit _hard_. The orangehead crashed into Yang, and both were sent flying through the ceiling. And up...and up...higher and higher to the point Ichigo began wondering if they would hit orbit. Eventually they slowed and began falling back towards ea...Remnant again. Falling until Ichigo forced his energy beneath his feet, coming to a halt.

The blonde flopped into his arms, coming to a sudden halt that nearly sent him tumbling again. Yang wasn't _heavy_, but they had just been sent a good couple hundred feet into the air. Recovering from the sudden stop, the blonde gaped as she looked down, and then up at Ichigo. Who for his part was flushing red at the...awkward...situation. Did he _have_ to catch her bridal style? Zangetsu was never going to let him live this one down, he could already tell that much. The laughter was a bit of a giveaway.

"Err...Ichigo?" Yang asked slowly, "Shouldn't we be falling?"

"You do know I can float, right?" he replied, "Well, for a little while."

As he said that, he began lowering towards the ground. Floating in the air wasn't exactly something he liked doing...he could theoretically do it so long as he had the power- a _loooongggg_ time in other words -but better to make it look limited. Especially since he knew that while he had gotten out of this for a little while, it wasn't going to last long before he had to teach _this_ too.

Damn.

"Right," the blonde nodded, before looking at him seriously, "Why'd you jump in front of me like that? I'm not a weakling, that wouldn't have even hurt!"

Ichigo's face went redder, "I wasn't thinking..."

"Clearly."

"Oi!" he protested, "That's the last time I try to save you."

Laughter came from Yang, as the pair reached the hole she had carved in Beacon's ceiling. She tugged on his arm before they could go through though, a more serious expression on her face.

"Thanks though. I'll have to pay you back one of these days."

And now _her_ face was slightly red. God, the old man was right wasn't he?

**"Probably."**

_"Well, I am happy for you."_

Ignoring his spirit, Ichigo floated down through the hole, dropping to the ground normally once they hit it. Best not to get awkward questions from JNPR. Unfortunately, that meant he crashed in a heap with Yang on top of him.

Okay, maybe he wasn't avoiding awkwardness after all.

_I hate my life._

* * *

**AN: And there we go! That was fun to write, once I got past the burnout. We're really hitting the stride on the Ichi/Yang front as well. Neither is ready to make a move, but it's getting clearer to both (especially Mr. Oblivious )that there is something there. It's rather fun to write honestly.  
**

**No mask talk here, but that's next chapter. Almost the same- probably two chapters from now -with a more detailed discussion with Oz. He wanted to get them back in school this time...but there are questions that need to be answered. Expect that to tie into _Recovery_ as well.**

**Again, I wasn't able to show the entire food fight due to the format, but I figure I got about as good as I could there. Let me know if it was good! Now, onto the reviews. Of which there were _58_ in all after the last chapter, and _47_ for last chapter alone. Thanks everyone!**

**Reviews:**

**Really long list of reviews:** Thanks everyone!

**Cormin12: **His mask is...well, can't say without spoiling it.

**freechimchangas:** He can use some Quincy powers...but no arrows.

**Rakaan:** Took your advice to heart in that side-story.

**Tahaku:** Maybe on the Bankai. Depends on how long it is till Kubo gets around to showing it. At this rate it'll be bloody 2016 before we see it.

Just Ichi/Yang.

End of V2.

**TheMAO17:** Ichigo's 16th birthday was before he went to the Soul Society, IIRC. So he'd be 17 going on 18 by the time he gets them back. I think. Been awhile since I read the early stuff.

**Dosudro:** Whoops...typos, the bane of any author.

**Grinja:** Soon. Very soon.

**Fifth Horseman:** Yeah, Ruby and Yang both are going to be hit hard with Summer. She's not going to recover quickly...so while they have her back, it's not going to be a quick road.

Mask is going to be very fun, honestly.

A lot of V2 has the potential to be quite fun really.

**Assault Godzilla:** I'm more in shock that the elite Quincy are apparently SS now...

**Wrathanet:** It's good to know my detail has improved. And I'm glad that I'm keeping that balance with Ichigo. It's a tight rope to walk to be fair.

**Shirokama:** I've done the PM reply system before...but with _this many_ I...well, suffice to say it would be a lot more trouble to reply that way. That being said, I'm going to just do what I did this chapter for the reviews that don't ask questions that need answered. I still appreciate each and every one, but when I'm having 40 names to jot down...yeah.


	20. Daily Life

**AN: Sorry for the slight delay everyone. I'm thinking bi-weekly updates until I get things back in order. Maybe faster, maybe not...but that's at least a goal to keep, eh?  
**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**

* * *

**"Kingy?"**

_"Yeah?"  
_

**"What the hell are they doin'?"  
**

_"How should _I_ know?"_

**"What, your girlfriend not invite you?"**

Ichigo Kurosaki groaned into his hands, mostly to hide the flush on his face. Ever since his...incident...with Yang during the food fight, Zangetsu had been insufferable with his innuendo and jokes. Well, he had always been like that. But it had redoubled since then, considering the way he had taken the bullet for the blonde, and then _had_ to catch her bridal style. Zangetsu was _never_ going to let him live that down or forget it, and it bugged the hell out of the teenager. Especially since things were starting to get awkward around Yang now, and that was less than fun.

The strange looks from her sister weren't helping. Ruby was innocent, but even _she _had picked up on things. It was making their training periods even _more_ awkward than usual. And that was on top of dodging questions about his mask while they worked at a way to explain it away or avoid answering directly. Needless to say, Ichigo was far from having a good time at the moment. At least once classes started back up he'd have an excuse to get away from the others for a little bit.

At the moment though...he was reading one of his Shakespeare collections while the girls in question were doing...something. Some sort of board game.

"Yang Xiao Long, prepare your troops for battle!"

"Bring it on!"

That the sisters were entirely too far into. It was rather hard to focus on reading with them going at it actually, however amusing it may have been. More amusing were the other two...Blake looked distracted, and Weiss looked as lost as he was. And she was supposed to be _playing_ the thing.

"I deploy..." Ruby was suddenly jumping to her feet, card held out high, "The Legionnaire Fleet!"

Yang gasped, holding a hand to her heart as her sister's face bore a gloating look.

"Looks like I get to attack right over your Ursai and attack your 'wolves directly!" and promptly began making cute airplane noises. Sometimes Ichigo wondered about that girl...

"You fiend!" and her sister, who was pointing at Ruby like she had attacked _her_.

Ruby just grinned as she ducked partway under the table.

_Waaaaayyyy to into it. I'm glad I'm not playing._

_"As am I..."_ Zangetsu's Quincy side added.

**"Meh, looks kinda interesting. Rather be fightin though."**

Ichigo's attention was drawn back to the girls, as Ruby continued gloating, "And since Atlas is a part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts...one turn!"

Only for Yang to grin at her, holding up a card of her own, "Pretty sneaky sis. But you just activated my trap card!"

At that, the girl slammed her fist down on the table, sending pieces flying and nearly making the orangehead drop his book in shock. He sent a scowl Yang's way, but the blonde was too engrossed in the game and didn't even notice. Weiss did though, and rolled her eyes at him. Ichigo's scowl turned into a small smile, as Weiss faked a gagging motion. The girl had loosened up quite a bit really. Though not enough to get into a board game like the sisters did. To be totally fair, neither did _he_ so he couldn't really judge her there.

Because frankly, he did _not_ want to get between those two in that game. He valued his sanity too much.

**"What sanity?"**

Ignoring his blade, Ichigo tried to get back to reading. The sisters weren't cooperating though.

"Noooooo!" Ruby whined, "My fearless soldiers..."

"Eh, most of them were probably androids," Yang shrugged, wide smile on her face as her sister's face planted itself into the table.

"Goodbye my friends," the darker haired girl whispered, "You will be avenged."

"Not until I draw my rewards! Which are _double_ this round thanks to the Mistral Trade Route."

Ruby glared at her sister, tossing a boardgame piece towards where JNPR was sitting, "Bah!"

The rest of the conversation Ichigo tried to drown out in favor of reading, only catching Ruby continually tossing pieces. Until she finally complained that her sister had no heart, as one nailed Jaune right in the face. The blonde looked confused, and like he wanted to get up and walk to the table. Ichigo just sighed, and tried to ignore it. Things weren't going to calm down with _more_ people tossed in. Especially when the new guy was...well, Jaune.

It didn't help that Ruby was crying literal rivers of fake tears, as she lay across the table.

**"Nah, you're just jealous."**

_"WHAT?!"_

**"Huh, I was right this time."**

Resisting the urge to go into his head and beat the Hollow senseless, Ichigo forced his attention back on his book. He had to focus or he'd never get any reading done. And this was supposed to be _relaxing_ for him damn it! Not stressful, because frankly, the last damn thing he needed was more stress.

"I hate this game of emotions we play!"

Sighing, the shinigami looked up at Weiss, who now had the same river of tears that Ruby had. Who, while on the subject, had jumped into the Heiresses' arms and was clutching her tightly.

"Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together!"

"Sh...shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss didn't help her statement by pulling Ruby into a hug.

_Well, this is awkward._

Snapping his book shut with a heavy sigh, Ichigo just resolved to watch the fireworks. It was clear he wasn't going to get any reading done at the moment anyway, so he might as well. It was pointless really, not with the dramatics going on right across from him. Library or no library, team RWBIY never quite stopped with them. It was especially notable when even Weiss got in on the fun. Stuck up acting or not, she was just like the others when it came down to it. Get her involved in something, and she'd act up almost as much as the sisters. Same went for Blake...

Aside from the board game. She still looked deep in thought, if not a bit depressed. That had Ichigo more than a little curious, but he respected her need for secrets. Be more than a little hypocritical of him if he didn't.

That being said, if the others noticed it they didn't _show _that they did. Yang was trying to get Blake back in the game, while Weiss and Ruby had split apart and were back to normal. Or as normal as they ever got anyway...Ichigo didn't need the fake crying to know they were just monkeying around before. It was part of the reason he wasn't bothering to play himself...not worth the eccentrics he'd have to deal with.

"Hey guys, can I play?" Jaune broke in.

"Sorry Jaune, we already have four players," Ruby shot him down.

Weiss didn't even leave it at that, "Besides, this game requires a level of tactical cunning I _seriously_ doubt you possess."

"Umm..." Yang blinked, "You attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago."

_"And if anyone's a tactician there it's Blake,"_ Ichigo chimed in, not able to resist...though he knew better than to say it to anyone but Zangetsu.

He wasn't suicidal, after all.

**"Yeah, don't want to get the girlfriend angry. It's a damn pain having to heal her fire punches."**

_"You aren't the one feeling the pain!"_

**"Point."**

Jaune managed to get attention back on himself though, looking at Weiss with a slightly annoyed look, "Bring it on Ice Queen! I'll have you know I'm a great leader."

"Who told you that, your mother?"

"And Pyrrha!"

Said girl waved at the other table, before going back to reading a comic. At least she wasn't getting involved to. This was getting a bit...cro...

_Great, Sun and...someone with more outlandish hair than mine._

The monkey Faunus had wandered into the area, with another teen with him. The other boy was dressed in a red jacket with some form of metal weapon on his back. The clothing and weapon wasn't the other thing though..._that_ was his hair. Blue, brilliantly bright blue. Ichigo should have been used to odd hair considering his own, but...it was still rare to see people with hair that was outlandish. Not to mention it was a first for _blue_ hair. Did make him wonder who the guy was too. Probably one of Sun's team, since if his school operated the same as Beacon...

It made one question where the other two were.

"Sup losers," Sun grinned, nodding at each member of RWBIY, "Ruby, Blake, Yang, Ichigo...Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss complained, ignoring the small smirk on Ichigo's face.

Sun just held back a laugh, as he turned to the teen next to him, "I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend."

Said old friend looked at the others, a confused expression on his face, "Aren't libraries for _reading_?"

"Thank you!"

One could have expected that to be Ichigo, considering he wanted to read. But it wasn't. That was _Ren_, who was normally as quiet as they came. Showed how frustrated he must have been actually.

"Shut up, don't be a nerd," not that Sun felt that way.

"Hey!" the friend complained, "I prefer _intellectual_."

**"Nerd."**

_"Quiet."_

**"Of course _you_ would support him."**

_"Both of you quiet down!"_

Ignoring the growl from his more Hollow side, Ichigo watched the others again.

"I'm Neptune," blue-hair was saying.

Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn't the Ruby or Yang who replied first. Those two were the friendly ones and always tried to interact with the others, or new people, or anyone really. Well, more so _Yang_ on the latter side. Ruby still had her issues with new people, outside a select few like...Penny. So it was more than a little surprising when it was _Weiss_ who was making the first move. That girl rarely even talked to her team outside training sessions or things like this. She wasn't quite as bad as Blake, but the idea of her being the first to talk to someone...especially when that someone was friends with the 'scoundrel' Sun, was extremely odd.

"So Neptune, where are you from?"

"Haven," Neptune replied, "and I don't believe I caught your name, Snow Angel."

Ichigo gagged, "Snow Angel?"

"I forgot you were there Ichigo," Yang grinned back at him, rolling her eyes at how Weiss was acting. Namely, looking up at Neptune and not immediately dismissing him, like she would for say...Jaune. If the blonde had ever shown any interest in her anyway.

"I was _trying_ to read," he replied, "you all are too loud."

"Don't be a wimp."

The shinigami scowled, before turning away at the giggles behind him. Why he even bothered...

"Sorry, sorry," the blonde continued, "Seriously though, you know how we play games. Don't be like Blake here."

Upon hearing her name, the Faunus-in-disguise got to her feet, placing her cards on the table, "Actually, I think I'm done playing. I'll see you guys later."

_There is definitely something there. Probably the White Fang...she better not go off on her own again._

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long  
**

* * *

"I knew we shouldn't have let him play!"

"You're just mad the new guy beat you! See, this wouldn't have happened if..."

Yang held a hand up, cutting off whatever Ruby was going to say. She did _that_ because Ichigo tapped her shoulder, nodding at the last member of their team. Blake looked depressed about something. Which was the usual with her, but this was worse than that. Which was odd to the blonde. Why in the world would her partner be down? They beat Torchwick and kept him from stealing more Dust. Not to mention they've had an _awesome_ break. Mom was back after all! Though...that last one wouldn't mean anything to her friend.

Still though! Blake should be happy, not depressed. Even if that was her standard mood...

"Stop!" Weiss was still acting different too.

_Man, was being away for a couple of days that much time for them to change?_

"Lately you've been acting quiet, moody and antisocial," the heiress continued, getting a snort out of Yang.

"Have you _met_ Blake? The only one more antisocial here is Ichigo."

"Oi!" the orangehead in question glared at her, just making Yang grin back at him. It was always fun to mess with him.

Weiss just ignored both of them, continuing to look at Blake, "I get it...that's your 'thing'. But you made a promise to me...to _all of us_ that you would come to us if something was bothering you."

At those words, the three members of the team behind the heiress shuffled slightly. Yang well knew that Weiss was digging into Blake about that because of what _they_ had done. It was still a sore point that they had left on their own without telling the others. Especially with Weiss, who could _really_ hold a grudge when she wanted to. She was more tenacious than a Beowolf after a hunk of meat, when it came to holding a grudge. It was kind funny in most cases, though not this one. It made Yang feel a bit sorry for Blake actually.

Until she felt relief at not being on the receiving end of it for once. Seriously, it was kinda nice not having Weiss on her case for once.

"So...Blake Belladonna..." the other girl got her attention once more, "What...is...wrong?!"

_I...I...is this the same Weiss? That's something I expect out of...me!_

Looking to her left and right, Yang saw the same dumbfounded look on her sister's face...and probably the same on Ichigo's. Though the way he had his face in his hands made it hard to tell. Not that she could really blame either of them.

Because the image of prim and proper Weiss Schnee balanced on a chair as she pointed down imperiously on Blake was simultaneously scary, extremely out of character, and _funny_. The word 'funny' when used in relation to the heiress was such a rare occurrence that she couldn't help but slump forward, sending Weiss a dull look. Seriously, was the world ending? Was she asleep? Did Ichigo slip her something at lunch? Because the idea of Weiss doing that was still hard to believe, even when seeing it in front of her!

The other options sorta fell away though. Weiss jumped off the chair, pushing it back to its place, and standing all prim and proper again. Almost like she didn't believe she had done it either. Considering the situation...that was pretty easy to believe actually. Yang certainly couldn't understand it.

For her part, Blake raised a hand, opened her mouth, and finally began talking.

"I...I don't understand how everyone can be so calm!"

"Thinking about Torchwick?" Ruby asked back.

"Waste of time," Ichigo chimed in, "we can't do anything about it."

Blake frowned at him, "That's exactly what I mean! Torchwick, the White Fang...why is no one more worried?"

"Ozpin said they were working on it," Yang replied, "I'm sure they can handle it."

"I'm not!" the Faunus girl shook her head, "they don't know the White Fang like I do!"

All of the girls shared a look at that, while Ichigo just sighed. Yang turned to look at her friend, who was shaking his head slightly. Clearly, he didn't agree.

"Look," he began, "it's true that you know the White Fang...or did anyway, since they clearly weren't working with humans when you were in it..."

The dark-haired girl had the grace to look away at that.

"...but the point remains. We're all students. It isn't our job yet to get involved in something like this. It'd just get us in more trouble."

"He kinda has a point..." Ruby nodded, looking a bit put-out at not going out to look herself.

For her part, Yang agreed and _still_ wanted to get out there. Though that was her adrenaline addict side doing the talking, to be totally fair. Continuing to surprise her though, Weiss placed her hands up in a peace keeper role. That was odd too...what had gotten into the princess lately? She wasn't acting at all like she used to. It was...strange. Awesome, but very much strange too.

"Look, I'm sure that between blowing up nightclubs, stopping criminals, going into the _Badlands_ and being former freedom fighters, you all think we can go out and do this on our own."

Ichigo scowled, "Not really."

"But let me once again be the voice of reason," she totally ignored him, "We're _students_. We shouldn't be out there yet."

"Umm..." Ruby stuck a hand up.

"We're _not ready_!"

Blake couldn't hold it in any longer, "And we may never _be_ ready! Our enemies are still out there, and I can tell you...they won't _wait _for graduation day! They're planning something, and we don't know what it is! But it's coming, and it doesn't matter if we're ready or not!"

The girl panted heavily after that, daring someone to disagree with her. Yang could only stare in shock. That...was also another side to a friend she hadn't seen. Seriously, what was with those two lately? Had they really drifted that far apart? Because that much conviction out of Blake was...

_Wait._

Something she should have expected. She knew her partner was a former member of the White Fang. That wasn't something you did without a lot of conviction in their cause. And she had even _more_ conviction in doing the right thing, since she left and was training to fight against them now. That took a lot of guts and it was clear that Blake had those, hidden beneath her normal sour and quiet shell. Huh.

"Alright..." her sister started talking, wide grin on her face, "All in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses, and Huntsman, to single-handedly bring down a corrupt criminal organization...say aye!"

Yang couldn't help herself, pointing at Blake with a wide grin, "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun," Weiss shrugged with a good-natured eye roll.

Ichigo looked at the others, and sighed heavily, "Damn it. I'll go along then, someone has to make sure we get through this."

Looking at the other teen though, Yang suddenly remembered something.

"Since we're sharing secrets and planning on going after the White Fang...Ichigo," she turned her best 'disarming' grin on him, "Don't you have something to tell us?"

"Er...no?"

And the grin turned predatory, "Really?"

The orangehead sweated, looking like he wanted nothing more than to make a break for it. Like he always did, when it came to his secrets, come to think of it. He really didn't like talking about his own powers. It was kinda cute, to be honest. Annoying too though. If Yang had all these awesome powers, she'd want to do nothing _but_ brag about them. Ichigo on the other hand, he always wanted to avoid talking about them like he was afraid they were going to bite his head off or something. The most that the rest of Team RWBIY was ever likely to do to him was badger the taller teen until he finally gave up and taught them what he could.

After all, his training in Aura was some of the most useful stuff Yang had ever seen. Toss in that Kido thing and she couldn't understand why he was so resistant to the idea of talking about the powers.

"Fine," Ichigo sighed heavily, sitting down with an annoyed and slightly scared look on his face, "I swear, I can never get away with _anything_ here."

"You know it!"

Weiss and Blake shared a look, before the former sighed herself, "Okay, what are you two talking about?"

"Ichigo has another power!" Ruby fielded the question, wide grin on her face, "He took down a giant Grimm with it!"

"...how big?"

"_Really_ big! Like, big enough to just knock trees aside with its tail!"

The heiress pinched her brow, "Ichigo Kurosaki...what _are_ you?"

"Human!" he protested, "Do you want to know what I did, or not?"

"Yes!" Yang grinned.

Another sigh answered her, as he placed his head in his hands. Ichigo took a few deep breaths, before a sudden _cloying_ feeling took shape in the room. Darker than anything that Yang had felt before in fact, aside from Grimm. This wasn't the same as that though...dark, but not really _malicious_ like the Grimm. Weiss though, she flinched and glared at the orangehead. Not really surprising, considering how good she was at the whole 'sensor' thing. Ruby and Blake had less severe reactions, though the former did look a bit less cheerful and more worried.

For her part, Yang just eagerly waited for the other teen to pull his hands away.

**"This is what you were feeling,"** only for his voice to change tone entirely, as his head came up...and got a flinch out of all the girls, and an 'eeeepp!' out of Ruby.

Because all those flashes of black in his eyes she had seen suddenly made sense. Ichigo's face was the same...but his eyes...

**"See why I don't like showing this?"** he asked rhetorically, **"Semblance or not, it isn't fun!"**

Considering that his amber eyes had changed to black and gold orbs...that was an understatement. It was more than a little freaky, especially with the way his voice was all double-toned now. How in the...?

"Ichigo," Weiss said slowly, "this is the oddest Semblance I have ever seen. And seriously, this is not your usual Aura either!"

**"Tell me something I don't know. This is why I don't use it...too dark."**

There was an undercurrent of pain there, even through the change in voice. Yang placed a hand on his shoulder, managing to not flinch at the darkness clinging to him. It was clear that Ichigo did _not_ like this power, which made sense. It wasn't like the Zanpakutō thing he shared with his father. This was something completely different...and if he was to be believed, completely unique to himself. And honestly? Yang didn't see a reason to doubt he was telling the truth here. Why would he have a reason to lie about something that so clearly made even _him_ uncomfortable? Even if it wasn't unique, she knew...knew that he would never teach anyone else something like this.

Not if it was something he didn't even like.

"Well," Ruby smiled weakly, "I don't mind it! It's still Ichigo underneath everything, right?"

"Yeah!" the older sister agreed, "It is."

Blake nodded, "Indeed."

Even Weiss smiled slightly. Ichigo looked at them all, before sighing softly.

**"You don't hate me?"**

_Well, I'm not sure _what_ I feel about you. But hate certainly isn't it,_ Yang thought with a slight flush to her cheeks.

Ruby just shook her head, "Of course not! How could we hate a friend just because of a dark power?"

**"Well, the fact that it _is_ dark? This is something I was born with...I've always had this dark side to me. It never really goes away...I just don't use it most of the time. Zangetsu gets me through most fights. I only ever use this when I need to...but that doesn't mean it isn't still there, just locked away."**

"And I was born with my Semblance too," Yang countered, "Sure, it ain't the same, but still! We can't blame you for a weird Semblance."

"Yang's right, for once," Weiss couldn't resist the jab, "Clearly, you have it under control. If not, we would have seen it sooner."

The shortest girl held up her hand again, "Well, actually I have seen the eyes before...whenever he gets _reeeeallllyyy_ angry. Like with Cardin!"

Ichigo snorted, **"Yeah...when I get angry I can't quite stop myself sometimes. It takes a lot though. That bastard just really gets on my nerves."**

"He gets on everyone's nerves," the blonde chuckled, "So, thanks for answering my question Ichigo. You can stop now."

**"Oh...ri**ght," with a flash of black energy, the color returned to Ichigo's eyes, amber orbs returning to normal along with his voice.

That hadn't quite been the answer Yang had expected. But it did make sense to her. Semblances were very personal things...you didn't just go around telling everyone about yours and what it could do. Ichigo had a right to hide his if he wanted. The nature of it just made that even more clear. He had every right to not want people to be scared of him. And honestly, if they hadn't known him so well that probably would have scared the rest of RWBIY. It was just...freaky. The voice and the eyes...almost like a real dark side. At least he didn't do it all the time.

Because that _would_ be freaky.

"Basically all that does is increase my power," Ichigo continued, his normal voice far more soothing to listen to, "Kinda like Zangetsu, but not the same. I just don't use it much because I don't need it...and it freaks _me_ out."

"Well, at least we know about it now," Weiss sighed, "So, plan?"

As one, the heads in the room turned to Ruby. Who blinked, and giggled nervously.

"Right...time to plan how to take down a criminal organization!"

And just like that, things went back to normal. Or, at least as normal as things ever got in their lives as Huntresses- and Huntsman -in training. And Yang wouldn't have it any other way!

* * *

**AN: Chapter is done!**

**Hey, I said the mask discussion would happen, not that he would really pull it out. I have a _very_ specific scene in mind for when he has to show the mask properly. Believe me, that is one of the things I've been looking forward to since I started, so I wasn't going to do it here. I hope no one is annoyed by that...**

**As for the logic he has in only changing his voice/eyes...or how he does that...Ichigo will explain that next chapter. Or rather, talk about it with Zangetsu. I hope everyone still enjoyed the chapter!**

**Reviews:**

**Long list of reviewers: ** Thanks for reviewing! I still get all happy when I think I can actually put 'long list' instead of listing each one that didn't have a specific question...it's nice, in a way, to see so many people enjoy the story.

**Lightsbane1905:** Arkos? Not so much ship it as acknowledge that it's pretty well canon, aside from Jaune being Blind to Love.

**freechimchangas:** Not quite yet. What Ichigo is won't come out until right after the aforementioned 'really looking forward to writing' Mask Scene.

**Matt: **Yachiru? No idea honestly.

**Fifth Horseman:** I'd go with adorkable personally.

I've got plans for another side-arc, this time with Weiss and Blake dragging Ichigo along instead of the sisters. Not quite sure where I'm placing it in V2, but that's the plan anyway.

Ichigo can do some Kido, he more chooses not to since even smaller ones tend to be rather...destructive...when someone with his raw power uses them. The option is there though.

**Shadowsoken:** Yeah, I'm going to involve Ruby in fights more often from now on. It's just hard with my narrowed focus to get _everyone_ equal 'screen' time.

**Assault Godzilla:** Personally, I'm looking forward to when Kubo gets back to Ichigo and finally shows the new Bankai. Maybe that's just me.

**AN: There we go. Again, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter despite not showing the mask quite yet. Believe me, I'm planning on it being a _lot_ more substantial a reveal than it could get here.**

**See you all next time, and remember...I always enjoy reviews!**


	21. AN

AN: I'm not a fan and never _will_ be a fan of doing these...but sometimes, I have to.

Unfortunately, especially considering we're all of 5 reviews from cracking 700...I have to put this on hiatus. Why? Simply put, I've tried writing the next chapter ever since the last one was posted. But I cannot get any words down, no matter what I try. I recognize the signs of my muse going 'hey no...I don't have any ideas' well enough by now. To be totally fair, it's been happening for awhile now (I did mention it the last time we had a delay this length).

So while I hate doing this- and believe me, I'm kicking myself for this -I think I need to take a break and focus on my other projects again. Give myself time to rally ideas again, and all that. I _really _hope my readers aren't angry for this...but I don't want to put out substandard work, which is what would happen if I forced myself to write this.

Again, I am _very_ sorry for this. Very, very sorry.


	22. Mission Start

**AN: I RETURN  
**

**I know that no excuses can make up for how long this sat dormant. All I can really say, is that during the hiatus I discovered that I had a lot of fun, and an easy time, writing Madoka fanfics. By which I mean, getting a 100k plus crossover done, and getting that much done between my two current focus fics as well.**

**That left me with little time or energy for anything else, and as such, this sat longer than I may have originally intended. With the knowledge that I was having such a good time with Madoka, I decided I'd hold out on this until V3 came, in the hopes that it would jumpstart the muse again.**

**And, what do you know, the V3 opening being released did just that. So here we are...far longer than I would have liked, but we're back in action. Can't guarantee I can keep up the same posting rate I once did, but hopefully we won't have another hiatus any time soon.**

**...and hopefully I still have readers here.**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

Looking up at the sky, Ichigo sighed softly. For once, he had managed to peel away from the rest of his team, and had taken advantage of that to sit on the roof. Staring at the sky wasn't really his _thing, _but at this point, he was really just using the time to _think_. About a lot of things really, though the foremost thought in his head was the upcoming mission. He still thought it was a bad idea to go _looking_ for Torchwick and his men, even if he still owed that man a proper beat down. Ichigo knew as well as anyone that it was very doubtful that Torchwick was working alone though...and if he had someone who could fight better, it would be _very_ bad. The teen was confident in his ability to take anyone down that was weaker than his father, but he couldn't say the same for his team.

Ichigo _knew_ they were great fighters. But they were still first years, and hadn't had the same type of training he did. Fighting Grimm, even in the Badlands, wasn't the same as fighting other humans and Faunus. He sort of wished it was that easy, but it wasn't. Blake had lucked out with the White Fang last time they fought...Torchwick's goons clearly weren't the best fighters that those terrorists could muster. Even he could see that.

The odds of that being the case when they _went looking_ for the White Fang, was rather less likely.

"Hey Ichigo," a male voice broke into his thoughts, "What're you doing up here?"

Turning his head, the shinigami raised an eyebrow when he saw it was Jaune of all people who had popped up. The blonde was giving him a confused look, as he held his weapons. Of course, that got _Ichigo_ looking at _him_ with a confused look. Jaune noticed that, and his cheeks went slightly red, as he scratched the back of his head, somehow managing to avoid decapitating himself in the process.

...how, Ichigo wasn't quite sure.

"Just thinking," the orangehead replied, "What about you?"

"Waiting to train with Pyrrha. Normally we train at night, but she wanted to get some extra work in today," Jaune shrugged slightly, smiling sheepishly, "I kinda need it after all..."

"You really do," Ichigo nodded.

"Hey! You weren't supposed to agree with me!"

Just snorting in reply, Ichigo turned his head back to the sky. He could hear the other teen grumbling as he sat next to him though, looking curiously at the orangehead. Not that the shinigami in question made any effort to acknowledge that stare. If Jaune wanted to ask something, he could ask it. Not like Ichigo was inclined to bite his head off or anything like that.

"Sooo..." the blonde began, after a couple minutes of silence, "Are you avoiding your team?"

"No!" Ichigo scowled at that suggestion.

"Just wondering, since I know that Yang was looking for you earlier," Jaune replied, "seemed kind of worried about you."

"Yang worried?"

That was...odd. It wasn't like he had left the school or anything, and while the blonde was the worst of the team at sensory abilities she wasn't quite _that_ bad. She should know he was still at Beacon, if nothing else. So why would she possibly be worried about him? That didn't make much sense to...

**"Kingy, ya just showed _me_ off. 'Course she's gonna be worried if you wander off on your own. Shit, even _I_ know that much."**

_"..."_

Okay, maybe that made some sense. Ichigo wasn't the moody type...

**"Ha!"**

...but on the other hand, he _had_ made it clear he didn't like showing off even what little of his Hollow side he had. It was a miracle that Zangetsu had enough fine control over it to only change his eyes in the first place. So yeah, maybe he could see why Yang would be worried about him. It also wasn't like him to wall himself off like this, though it being about his Hollow side was the furthest thing from the truth. Much as Zangetsu annoyed him at...well..._all_ times, he accepted that part of him. The only reason he was up here was to delay their little 'mission' as much as possible.

"Yeah, she asked if I knew where you were," Jaune clearly didn't notice the mental conversation.

"Huh. Guess I should probably go make sure she's not freaking out or something," Ichigo sighed, "Damn it, I was hoping this could wait."

"Something up?"

Ichigo looked over at the blonde, "Do you _want_ to know?"

Jaune laughed at that, "Probably not. Good luck with whatever you're doing, Mr. Crazy."

"Go into the Badlands once and everyone..." Ichigo scowled at the blonde, before getting to his feet.

Electing to ignore the laughing blonde behind him, Ichigo continued towards the entrance to Beacon proper. He had spent enough time delaying on the roof anyway...probably best to find the girls before they left without him. Because wouldn't _that_ be awkward...

_Especially considering the entire reason I was up here is because I don't like the idea of them going at all. Leaving without me is just going to worry me, and damn it, I don't _like_ feeling like that._

**"'Cause it makes ya a pussy."**

_"Shut it."_

Ignoring his Zanpakutō, Ichigo stretched his senses out to find the girls. As ever, there was the _dark_ feeling of Grimm in the distance, muted somewhat by the myriad of bright feelings that Beacon represented. If he hadn't been trained by the old man himself, Ichigo would probably have been unable to pick out any individuals from this mass of humanity. But years of training and months of time at Beacon meant...

"Okay, they're all in the room."

Changing direction, Ichigo walked towards where he could feel the familiar sensation of his friends. The icy Weiss. The excitable Ruby. The mysterious Blake. And of course, the fiery Yang, who was probably the easiest for _him_ to sense. And to a woman, they were all in the room. Which could only mean they were ready to leave, and he had almost missed it after all.

_Damn it. That's too close._

Speeding up slightly, it didn't take long for the shinigami teenager to reach his destination. Not like Beacon's dorms were particularly large, not really. Pushing the target door open, Ichigo was ready to complain that the girls were leaving without him.

**"_Niiiiiccccceeee. _Loving this view Kingy!"**

_"...I believe you were wrong, Ichigo."_

The 'strawberry' himself had gone as red as his namesake, as he let out a noise that most certainly _wasn't_ a cut-off scream, before slamming the door. Forcing his racing heart to calm down, though nothing could be done for his blush, Ichigo shook his head to clear the images from it. If he had expected anything, it _hadn't_ been opening the door on all his _completely female team_ changing their clothes. Seriously, was the fact he wasn't in there a good enough reason to totally not care about changing? Who cares if they were all women, they should use the bathroom! It was there for a reason!

A hesitant knock on the door grabbed his attention back, as Ruby stuck her head out of the door.

"Are you alright Ichigo?" the leader asked with a small giggle, "Sorry...we didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"...a little warning would have been nice though," Ichigo scowled, doing what he could to hide his flushed face, "A note on the door?"

"You should have knocked first!" Weiss' annoyed voice responded to that.

Ruby blushed herself, "Sorry...she's not in a good mood."

"When is she _ever_," the shinigami replied in a deadpan tone.

"Good point," his leader giggled at that thought, before moving to shut the door, "We'll be done in a couple minutes, okay?"

"Yeah yeah."

Well, that could have gone better. At least none of them had been _naked_. Ichigo didn't know if his blood pressure could take that. He'd probably have passed out on the spot, rivers of blood flowing from his nose.

So yeah, better that they had at least had _some_ clothing on. What had possessed them to dress _in_ the room when he clearly was coming back at some point was beyond him though. Oh well, nothing to do but just push the event from his mind and focus on the interesting wall in front of him. Yup, not avoiding the problem at _all_.

**"Pussy."**

Zangestu just _had_ to have the last word.

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

A few minutes later, with his blush finally toned down, Ichigo was practically dragged into the room by Yang. Her new outfit managed to get a raised eyebrow out of him as well. He was so used to seeing her in her short shirt and short shorts, that seeing her in a full shirt and short_er_ skirt was...well, odd. Not that he was necessarily _complaining_. He'd sooner let his father punch him through a wall than admit it, but Yang pulled that outfit off _great_. Admittedly, the fact it was more revealing than usual may _finally_ be punching through to his teenage brain...

"Like what you see?" the blonde laughed, holding her sides at the expression on Ichigo's face, "Your face! Oh god, your face!"

"Huh?" Ruby looked confusedly between her sister and her friend, cocking her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Don't mind them," Weiss sighed, placing a hand on her teammate's shoulder.

"Bu..."

"_Don't_."

Turning away from Yang, Ichigo just scowled at the white haired girl, "Very funny."

"I thought it was," the heiress wore a rare smirk, as she stared him down.

Leaving aside that smirk, her outfit probably changed the least compared to the other girls. It was more of a coat than a dress now, and had black frills lining the skirt, but it was still the same all-white outfit. Blake was wearing something that had him blinking owlishly, considering she was not exactly someone he would think if asked 'will this girl wear a stomach-baring outfit'. And yet, the cat Faunus was wearing a shirt that exposed her stomach, though her pants were ironically more modest than her typical shorts and leggings.

Ruby, to finish things off, had turned her hand-me-down cloak into a scarf, though the cloak still hung over her back in the same way it always had. Her dress was grey instead of pure black though the black was still there, and her skirt was a deep, dark red. She was probably only slightly behind Weiss in 'this outfit is close to normal' really.

"Anyway," Blake was the voice of reason as usual, "Plan?"

"Right!" Ruby grinned at her friend, "So, do we all know what our objectives are?"

Weiss snorted softly, "Of course. I'll be looking into the records of attacks on Schnee property at the CCT with you. Since I'm in the family, it shouldn't be any problem."

"The White Fang holds regular faction meetings," the token Faunus took over, "they plan missions and hand out orders there. _If_ I can get in, I should hopefully find out what they're planning. Luckily, I'm...familiar...with the procedures."

Yang was the next one in line, a grin on her face, "I've got a friend on the shady side of town who typically knows _everything_ going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard. Soooo...what about you, Ichigo?"

The shinigami sighed softly, "Before I figure out what I'm doing, shouldn't we deal with the monkey hanging out our window?"

"Monk..."

"I resent that! I'm not _entirely_ a monkey, thank you!"

All of the girls jumped back in shock at that voice, while Ichigo just held his face in his hands. Sure, they were a bit distracted, but feeling Sun's..._sunny_...Aura wasn't that hard. Then again, it probably helped that he had been looking in the direction of the window anyway, while the girls were busy discussing the plans. Either way, now that they _did_ know he was there, their faces went through a range of emotions.

Before Weiss settled on anger, glaring at the Faunus she had never held a particularly high opinion of in the first place.

"What are you _doing_ there?" she got out, glare growing positively icy.

"I do this all the time," Sun shrugged, despite the fact he was hanging upside down, his tail wrapped around a tree.

"You do _what?!_"

Ichigo sighed, "Nice one..."

Sun just looked confused, "I climb trees all the time...?"

There was silence at that, as all the girls- and the one shinigami -stared at the monkey Faunus. Who stared back, blinking slowly.

"Wow, tough crowd," he muttered under his breath, before flipping into the room, "So, anyway. Are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"_We_ are working together," Blake countered, "As a _team_."

Ruby at least looked apologetic, "Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."

Well, that was _them_ anyway. For his part, Ichigo would rather they weren't doing this in the first place. He didn't back down from trouble, but he didn't exactly go looking for it either. But if the girls were determined to go out and do their things...well, he had to come along to make sure nothing went wrong. Didn't make him happy about it, but eh, what could he really do?

That was getting off track though.

"That's stupid," and Sun brought him back on track, "You should _always_ involve your friends. That's why I brought Neptune along."

_So _that's_ who I felt._

**"Well, Kingy, if ya don't know someone it's probably someone he brought. Don't think I've ever seen Tarzan with anyone but bluey."**

_"...Tarzan? Seriously Zangetsu?"_

**"What?"**

Leaving aside his blade's nicknaming, Ichigo blinked slowly when his team all stuck their heads out the window. For his part, he just stood next to Sun, who looked to be holding back a laugh. This was probably his idea of a joke then. Something confirmed, when he didn't bother holding back the laugh when a clearly shaken Neptune clambered into the room.

Seriously, was he the _only_ sane person here?

"Anyway," Ruby took charge again, "We have to form new teams now! Sun, you can go with Blake since you're friends!"

"And both Faunus," Ichigo pointed out.

"That too!" the leader nodded, before looking intently at the rest of the group, "But who will Neptune go with? Weiss is with me, and I think Ichigo wants to go with Yang, right?"

"Fine by me," the blonde grinned at the shinigami, who shrugged.

"If that's what we need to do."

Neptune looked momentarily put out at not having an open team, before Weiss held up her hand, "Neptune can go with us Ruby. We're the only ones who can have an extra, right?"

"Hmm...good point Weiss! Come on!"

Before anyone could even blink, Ruby was dragging Weiss out of the room, with a clearly confused Neptune trailing behind. Ichigo just sighed, shaking his head in amusement. Weiss didn't want Neptune with her because it was efficient, the girl had a crush on him. Even _he_ could see that much, and he wasn't exactly the best with romance. Granted, he also had Yang waggling her eyebrows suggestively at him, when she had looked between the white and blue members of the other group. Of course _she_ would pick up on something...

"Well, guess we should get going too then. Good luck," Blake nodded at the pair, before she let with Sun who looked excited at being involved in their little mission.

That just left Ichigo and Yang in the room, staring at each other. Neither said anything, just...stared at the other. Clearly, without anyone around they couldn't get to actually doing anything. Ichigo was too caught up in his thoughts to make the first move anyway, and he'd rather not put his foot in his mouth. Which he was doing pretty consistently lately, when it came to her.

Luckily for him, it was Yang who finally broke the silence.

"Sooo...what were you actually going to do?" the blonde asked with a grin.

"I had no idea," Ichigo shrugged in response.

All that got was a set of giggles, as Yang shook her head in amusement, "Of course, you're not one for planning things!"

"Oi!"

"So, how about we get to my motorcycle?" she continued over his protest, before slapping her face, "Oh damn, I've never shown you that have I? Follow me!"

Before he could even get a word in, Yang was dragging Ichigo out by his hand. All he could do was go along for the ride, wondering just what he had managed to get himself into _this_ time.

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

* * *

For all that Ichigo thought he had problems, Ruby would soon find herself in a much more precarious situation. Namely, staring in shock at Penny. She had run into the girl outside the CCT with Weiss and Neptune, though oddly she had acted like she didn't _know_ her. Despite being friends, and everything they had been through. So Ruby had left her partner and Sun's friend behind, and charged after Penny. The other girl had eventually explained the situation, after a _lot_ of badgering on Ruby's part. Apparently, her father was even more overprotective than her own, and didn't want Penny in trouble. But the thing was, it wasn't _him_ who told her not to talk to her friends.

But before Penny could say _who_ was responsible, they had come across a demonstration of new Atlas military tech. Of course, Ruby had promptly started drooling over the new robots and the _awesome_ Paladin. Her attention was so totally focused on the military things, that she hadn't noticed Penny was uncomfortable, until the other girl had placed a hand on her shoulder. It was only then, that the leader had noticed a pair of Atlesian soldiers charging her way. Penny had took off running, and Ruby chased after her.

Which left her in her current situation. After _stopping a truck with her bare hands_, Penny had run into this alley. And Ruby was now staring at metal hands, on a girl who considered herself 'fake'.

"Penny..." Ruby softly spoke, worry clear in her tone, "What do you...I don't understand..."

"Most girls are born," Penny replied with a sad smile, as she looked down on her scratched hands, metal peeking out slightly, "But I was created. I'm the first synthetic being capable of generating an Aura."

Clenching her hands slightly, the girl turned her smile on Ruby.

"I'm not a real girl Ruby. I'm..."

All that the dark-haired girl did in return to that, was reach her hands out. She grabbed Penny's own limbs, completely ignoring the metallic feel now that her 'skin' was scraped off. And why shouldn't she? Penny was her _friend._ It hardly mattered _what_ she was, did it? She was her friend, and that was the important thing! Besides, Ruby could easily remember something that Ichigo had taught her, during his training lessons.

"Penny, that doesn't matter," she grinned at the taller girl, "do you think that just because you have nuts and bolts inside you instead of squishy guts means you're any less real?"

"I..." Penny blinked slowly, leaning forward with shock on her face, "You're taking this extraordinarily well..."

"You're not like those things back there," Ruby replied, hooking her thumb at the Atlesian demonstration before poking Penny in the chest, "You've got a heart. You've got a _soul_. I can feel it!"

And it was here, that Ichigo's lesson came in handy.

_"If you can feel an Aura, it has a soul," Ichigo said, as he glowed blue while his team looked on._

_"Which is why you can only sense Grimm by their darkness," Blake nodded along with the conversation._

_Ichigo nodded back, "Exactly. Grimm don't have an Aura, because they don't have a _soul_. Don't ask me how the hell those things can be alive without a soul though, the old man and I don't have a clue to that. It's damn freaky though."_

_"It is," Ruby giggled slightly, "But does that mean that anything that has an Aura _is_ alive? With a soul?"_

_"Yup. Not that I've ever seen anything that shouldn't have an Aura but does. I mean, it's not like your weapons can develop one."_

_"Yeah, I'd be worried if Ember Celica suddenly started talking to me!" Yang laughed it off, slapping Ichigo in the back._

_Ichigo just sighed, "Yeah yeah..."_

Now that she was actually _with_ someone like that, Ruby could understand what her friend had been talking about. Penny may have been made of metal instead of flesh and blood, but she was _alive_. She had a _soul._ What else made a real girl than that? The answer was simple..._nothing_. No matter what Penny was or was made of, she was alive and real. And that was what mattered.

"And you know what," Ruby continued to talk to her newest friend, "If you have an Aura, you have a _soul_ Penny. And that mean's you're alive, no matter what you're made of. Ichigo taught me that!"

Penny had tears in her eyes, as she jumped forward and pulled the other girl into a tight hug, "Oh thank you Ruby! You're the best friend anyone could ask for! Really!"

For her part, Ruby felt like she was being crushed in an industrial vice. Which...considering _what_ Penny was...may not have been an inaccurate comparison...

"I can see why your...father would want to protect such...a delicate flower," she got out, feeling her bones creak under the pressure.

Luckily for her back, Penny released her, smiling happily. Ruby couldn't help but smile back, glad she could make her friend this happy. Penny deserved it, if even half of her reactions were any indication. The girl had needed to hear she was real and alive.

"My father is the sweetest man," clearly, she had heard her as well, "He's the one who built me! I'm sure you'd love to meet him."

Ruby nodded, "Wow, he built you all by himself?"

"Oh no, not by himself," her friend shook her head, "he had help from Mr. Ironwood."

Slow blinking answered that statement. Ruby recognized the name of course. Anyone who knew anything about Atlas' military knew about Ironwood. And considering that Ruby was a bit of a weapon nut...and Atlas built most of those...well, it wasn't a surprise she knew the name. But she couldn't believe that he had helped build Penny. Why would he have done that? Was Penny part of the Atlesian military maybe? A lot of the Huntresses from Atlas joined their military, so maybe that was the case.

It'd make some sense anyway.

"The General?" Ruby asked her friend, to see if she knew who he really was.

"Yup!"

"Is that why those soldiers were chasing us?"

Penny smiled softly, "Yes. They like to protect me as well."

"Not doing a very good job..." Ruby muttered under her breath, "Don't you think you can protect yourself? I mean, you took out all those White Fang guys like...like..."

Well, her vocabulary failed her. For all that Ichigo's owning of Torchwick had been awesome, what Penny did was something Ruby _still_ couldn't put into words. It had been _that awesome_!

"I know, but they don't think I'm ready," Penny replied softly, "Someday, it will be my job to protect the world. But I still have a lot to learn. That's why my father let me come to Vale, to see the Vytal Festival. I'm hoping to test myself in the tournament, so I know what the rest of the world is like! I haven't been out much before now actually."

Ruby frowned slightly, "Penny, what are you..."

Before she could get an answer, the sound of the soldiers shouting began to approach. Ruby looked warily down the alley, ready to run again. She could even try carrying Penny in her Semblance again if she had to. It wouldn't be fun or easy, but she wouldn't let...Penny be...

"Penny, what are you doing?! Put me down, I can help you!"

Before she even knew what was happening, Ruby found herself being carried by the other girl. And tossed into a dumpster.

_Gross!_

"Don't worry Ruby, they're nice people! I just don't want you to get into trouble," her friend sent her an apologetic smile, before her face became the most serious Ruby had ever seen it, "Promise me you won't tell anyone about me. My secret?"

"I promise," the dark-haired girl replied, "But...Ichigo might know something about your Aura..."

"Ruby, please, don't tell anyone!"

"I won't."

The radiant smile that Penny sent her before shutting the dumpster lid had Ruby grinning herself. Sure, it would suck to keep this big- and awesome! -of a secret but she could do it. It wasn't like Yang or anyone else would have a reason to ask. She had only brought up Ichigo because he had mentioned the Penny felt weird to him before. And she still did, but now Ruby knew _why_ she felt that way. And it made it a lot easier to understand why her Aura felt off. She was an artificial Soul, but still a real one.

And right now, she was talking with a pair of soldiers, while Ruby looked on, doing her best to avoid being noticed. The soldiers _did_ seem nice enough. They weren't yelling or hurting Penny. If anything, they just seemed really worried. Which would make sense, if they really did care about her. Penny said they did, and Ruby didn't think her friend would _lie_ to her about that.

"...are you okay at least?" one of them sounded even more worried, though Ruby couldn't see his face.

"Just a scratch," Penny replied, holding up her hands.

The man visibly sagged in relief, made even more clear by the change in his voice, "That's good. Come on, your father is going to be really worried about you."

"And he isn't going to be happy about this," the other man added, though if he was trying to be stern the relief in his voice ruined it.

"Yes sir," the girl replied, though she didn't sound particularly put out.

Ruby watched them go, a smile on her own face. At least until...

_squeak_

_A rat!_

She fell back, because even Ruby Rose, slayer of Grimm...was horrified at the idea of a rat crawling up her skirt.

* * *

**AN: That was a fun one, even if it took way longer than it should have. But it's up now, so there's that.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Let me know in a review if you're still here and did, since that'll let me know I didn't alienate my fans with how long this took...**


	23. Investigation

**AN: Sorry again that this took so long...school decided it was going to kick me in the rear the last month or so since I updated. Which isn't surprising since I'm in my second to last year of university...but still. I hope it won't take this long again, especially since I'll be on break.**

**We'll see though. For now, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

**(also, over _60_ reviews for the last one? Thank you! I never thought I'd see the day when one of my stories got that many reviews for a chapter. We'll hit 1k in a couple chapters if we can keep that up!)**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

**"This is awesome!"**

_"This was a bad idea!"_

**"Come on, we don't get a chance to do stuff like this normally!"**

Ichigo would have had another snide comment to shoot back at his Zanpakutō, but the wind was taken out of his proverbial sails, as Yang pulled a sharp turn down the highway. He had been suitably impressed at her very-obviously custom motorcycle when she had shown him it. The color didn't do much for him, but then, he wasn't a yellow sort of guy. On the other hand, he had very much _underestimated_ just how powerful that engine was. Yang had jumped on, told him to hold on since it 'was a bit fast' and then gunned it so fast he wondered how the thing was _legal_.

Needless to say, his face was plastered to her back, while his arms were wrapped around Yang's waist. In any other situation, he'd be redder than his namesake. In _this_ situation, he was more concerned with not falling off the crazy woman's bike. And he couldn't even say anything about it, because the wind was making it impossible to make his voice heard. Even if he weren't...plastered into her back.

_Seriously, why did I think going with her was a good idea?!_

Luckily for his sanity, Yang started slowing down. Looking up now that he _could_, the orangehead noted they had entered a bit seedier part of Vale. It wasn't the slums, but it wasn't a nice part of the Kingdom either. Dark streets, buildings with no lights shining...yeah, if his father knew he were here the old man would have some choice words about putting 'his girlfriend in danger'. Leaving aside that he wasn't dating Yang, and she was the one who brought him here in the first place.

_"It is strange she has come here,"_ Zangetsu chimed in, sounding thoughtful.

_"Yeah. Just who _is_ this friend?"_

**"Wonderin' that myself Kingy."**

As Yang's bike came to a stop, Ichigo intended to get an answer to that question.

"Well, here we are," the blonde spoke up, pulling her helmet off.

By some miracle, as she shook her head, the aforementioned blonde hair just fluttered slightly. Not a sign of helmet hair. Staring at the impossibility of that for a split-second, Ichigo shook his head vigorously. Focus on Yang's hair later.

"Here?" the shinigami parroted back, "...I wonder if I should be worried who this 'friend' is."

"Jealous?" Yang grinned at him.

Ichigo scowled at the laughing blonde, "No! More worried, actually. Why would you even be out here? The old man'd kill me if I came out this far."

"Eh, my dad wouldn't exactly be _happy_," the blonde shrugged, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him though!"

For his part, Ichigo just sighed, shaking his head slightly, "Seriously, why am _I_ the only one not advocating stuff like coming out into the slums?"

"You're boring?"

**"Oh, that was a _burn_ King."**

Not even bothering to reply to his Zanpakutō on that one, Ichigo instead turned to look at the building they were near. He wasn't going to acknowledge the jab, and instead was going to figure out a better idea of where they were. At first glance, it just looked like any other building in this part of Vale. Nondescript, nothing really special about it from the outside. A cursory scan with his reiatsu senses just showed three people with some level of training in using Aura, but nothing on real Huntsman. There were a lot more people with no training at all.

Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It wasn't something big, or there would be some sign of that. And it wasn't a place that was somewhere a student would go to train either. Otherwise there'd be someone in there who was actually...well..._trained_. So...the question was...

"Hey, you realize I was joking right?"

Blinking slowly, Ichigo almost jumped back on reflex, when he saw Yang's face _very much_ in his personal space. The blonde smirked at the reaction, before tapping her foot on the ground. It was something he recognized as a nervous tick, having seen it before...mostly when Ruby was training, and doing something dangerous while doing so.

Bit odd to see it now though...

"Look," Yang finally spoke again, "You worry too much Ichigo. I can handle myself perfectly fine. As to why I came out here..."

As she said that, the blonde stepped back into his bubble, and leaned forward. Ichigo froze like a statue, doing his utmost to _not_ look down. Something made rather more difficult by her new outfit. Luckily for _him_, his attention was focused back on the blonde's voice as she started whispering in his ear.

"I came here looking for _my_ Mom. The guy who owns this place knows everything that happens in the seedier parts of Vale...I was hoping he'd know something. He didn't, but that's why we're here now. If anyone knows what Torchwick's been up to..."

"It'd be him."

"Exactly!"

_Well, that at least makes more sense. But now I'm wondering who this guy really is._

"So, let's go!" Yang continued, dragging him along as they moved up to the door.

A door she slammed open, making two men in suits snap their heads up. Whereupon they wore identical looks of _pure fear_, before turning around and running for their lives. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that, turning his head to look at Yang. Who just grinned, flipped her hair, and leisurely began walking after the men. Ichigo sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Clearly, Yang had made an _impression_ the last time she was here. Wonderful.

Well, nothing for it but to follow her. So that's what he did, keeping pace just a couple steps behind the blonde. The men in front of them kept running though, until they reached a _much_ larger pair of double doors. One of them opened it, while his partner was panicking as he looked back at the slowly approaching teenagers.

"Hurry, she's coming! And she's got a friend this time!" he shouted, almost jumping through the door once his friend had it open.

Unsurprisingly, once both of them had made it through, it was immediately slammed shut again. Ichigo had to resist the urge to facepalm at that. Honestly, what good was shutting that door going to do here? Even if he didn't do anything, Yang most certainly...would...like...

**"Well, sucks to be them."**

Ichigo just nodded at Zangetsu's statement, as Yang cocked her fist- and gauntlet -back, before slamming it into the door. Ember Celica fired once, the blast forcing the door open, leaving a rather large dent on their side. Honestly, he was just surprised she held back enough to not launch it off it's hinges. Ichigo knew his friend was fully capable of that.

"Guess who's back?" she practically sung, strutting into the room beyond the door like she owned the place.

The orangehead followed at a more sedate pace, blinking slightly when he saw the other side. Because if he had expected anything, he certainly hadn't expected a...

"Dance club? Seriously Yan...g..."

His voice trailed off, when he saw the first two guys had friends. A lot of friends, all pointing guns at Yang, totally ignoring him. Needless to say, that made Ichigo's temper flare up. You do _not_ point weapons at his friends. And it wasn't just his temper either, as blue reiatsu began to pour off his body. Amber eyes glared at the men, as he stepped in front of Yang. His raw power had them sweating, a couple barely keeping their footing. He barely noticed that, all his attention on the wavering guns in shaking hands.

If they thought he'd let them threaten one of his friends...possibly his _best_ friend...

"Ichigo, stop it."

The teen blinked, his power fading away, as Yang placed a hand on his shoulder, "Eh?"

"Enough overprotective boyfriend act, I can handle myself," she just grinned cockily at him, even though she herself had a bit of sweat on her brow, "Seriously, no need to act like a flashlight!"

"...we're not dating," Ichigo replied dumbly, before shaking his head, "Damn it Yang, don't joke around like that!"

She just snickered at him, before nodding over his shoulder. Ichigo sighed, and turned around, noting a rather...large...man had arrived. Large in height, at the least. He made the orangehead look short, and Ichigo hadn't really thought of himself as a 'short' guy.

"If you're done flirting," he spoke, voice as deep as one could expect, "Why are you here blondie?"

"_You_ still owe me a drink," Yang replied, sweeping past Ichigo, to grab the massive man by the arm and drag him off like he was a kid.

Ichigo sighed again, "I will never understand her."

He actually managed to get a sympathetic look from a pair of twin girls at that, before they wandered off to who knew where. Sighing yet again, Ichigo followed after his friend. Yang had managed to drag the big man over to the bar proper, where she leaned against it, glaring up at him. The man just adjusted his tie, doing his best to look aloof. Something rather ruined, since he was obviously nervous around the blonde. Ichigo couldn't blame him for that..._he_ was nervous around Yang, when she got in certain moods.

Then again, considering the reactions of the guards and Yang's personality...there was probably something more there. Like Yang beating him senseless or something, which _really_ wouldn't surprise him that much. It'd probably explain the big doors too. If she fought here, the place had probably been wrecked by the time she was done. It didn't take a genius to know you didn't want _that_ back in your club.

That aside...

"So, why're you really here blondie?" the man continued, pulling out a glass to clean like a stereotypical bartender, "I know it's not for a drink."

"You're right Junior, I'm not here for a drink," Yang replied, getting a snort out of Ichigo.

'Junior' turned to look at the male teenager, "What's so funny?"

"Junior?" Ichigo just parroted back, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

"Yeah, your point?" Junior glared at the teen, before Yang slammed a hand on the table, to get attention back on her.

The blonde glared at both of them, as she started speaking again, "Boys, stop it. Junior, I need to know if _you_ know what Torchwick is up to."

"Torchwick?"

"That's what I said."

The big man sighed, turning to clean his glass. Only once he was done with that, did he look back up at the teenagers.

"I don't know a thing about what he's up to. The man came in here, asked to borrow my men, and left. None of those men ever came back, so I have no idea what he wanted them for, or what he's up to _now_. Between that and you wrecking my club, I'm not going to go looking for him either."

Yang frowned, "You have to know _something_!"

"Except I don't," Junior shot back, "Torchwick took my men, and I guess he just wasn't happy with them. Which is honestly...something I can relate with!"

He shouted that last part, looking out at his men. Who were lounging about in various places, clearly not actually working now that Yang was off-limits to shoot. In any other situation, it might have been amusing. In this one, Ichigo was just inclined to pity them. It was a pitiable scene, really. Not much of mobsters, were they? Then again, that wasn't the issue here. The orangehead could see this was a waste of time now. If Junior didn't know what Torchwick was up to, they were better off just looking for the man in other ways. Track his Aura maybe? It was worth a shot at the very least, and what they were doing right now was just a waste of time.

And Ichigo hated wasting time.

"We should just go Yang," he placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "He doesn't know a damn thing."

"That's what I said," Junior agreed.

Yang sighed, "Right. Guess we'll just have to look somewhere else."

Of course, the open question there was..._where_ could they really look?

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

* * *

Far away from Junior's Club, Blake and Sun stood outside a rundown building, looking past the corner of their little hideaway. Well, Sun was anyway. Blake was running her fingers along three marks, scratched into a wall by Faunus claws. She would recognize that anywhere. The symbol marking this area as White Fang territory...and more specifically, as a White Fang meeting place. She hadn't been near one of these in months...she had hoped she never would _have_ to be near one again. But desperate times...called for desperate measures. She didn't like this at all, but Blake knew that she was the only one who could do this. Ruby and Yang wouldn't know stealth if you hit them with a book on it, and Weiss was far too recognizable.

Not to mention that, as the only Faunus available, her and Sun were _literally_ the only ones who could do this.

"This the place?" the boy in question asked.

"Yes," Blake replied shortly, running her fingers along the mark one last time, "The White Fang always mark their meeting places like this."

"...wouldn't that make them easy to find?" Sun deadpanned.

In response, the cat Faunus just rolled her eyes, "It's not an obvious marking. Only members of the Fang know where to look for it. Not to mention that most humans look down on us too much...they wouldn't think to look for markings like that, or assume it's just a random set of scratch marks."

"I'll take your word on that," Sun shrugged, pulling a white mask out of his pocket, "So, we need to wear these things?"

Blake nodded, "Yes. If we don't have the masks, the White Fang won't allow us in. Faunus or not."

It was...distasteful...to be holding one of these masks again. The masks were the one thing that Blake had never, even in her worst days, liked about the White Fang. Her memories of the peaceful protests told her...the masks were never used then. It wasn't until...until Adam and the others came to power, that it changed. That they began wearing the masks, not to hide their identities, but to frighten those they fought against. Those they _terrorized_.

It wasn't an understatement, to say she _hated_ the mask.

"Why do you wear these things anyway?" her partner asked, as the dark-haired girl undid her bow, setting her ears free, "I mean, what's the point?"

"Partially to hide who we are," Blake replied, putting her own mask on, "But mostly to spread fear."

"Fear?"

"Yes. By wearing a mask modeled on the Grimm, the hope was that we would make humanity afraid of the monsters they saw us as," here, she sighed softly, "By making ourselves look like the monsters we all fear."

Sun looked down on his mask with an uncharacteristic frown, before sighing and putting it on anyway, "That's dark."

"So was the one who came up with it."

Any more discussion on _that_ subject would have to wait though. Both Faunus moved to the door of the meeting area, where a burly Faunus, clearly a member of the Fang even if not in their uniform, held up a hand. The incognito teens stopped, as the guard looked them up and down. While impossible to truly tell with the mask, his eyes seemed to linger longer on their animal features...Blake's ears, and Sun's tail. It was only when the man was satisfied that those were real, that he let them into the room. A room that was large, and packed to bursting with White Fang members, and Faunus who were interested in joining. There was a clear divide between those groups...a mass of pure white, that were the terrorists.

And a mass of varied colors and features, Faunus of all stripes standing together, looking up at the stage. A stage with a massive banner, emblazoned with the White Fang crest, hung. A truly _massive_ Faunus, larger than any of the others by far, walked in front of that banner. His face was completely hidden behind a full-facial mask, with red stripes down the eyes. It made it impossible to see _any_ features or any emotions beyond what his body conveyed, and even then were wasn't anything. Not even for Blake, who was normally good at that.

"Welcome," the man began speaking, voice only slightly muffled by the mask, "I thank you all for joining us tonight. And for those of you who have not joined us before, allow me to introduce our very special ally. This man is the key to our plans in Vale, and is a very valuable ally indeed."

_Well, we picked the right spot._

Because, the familiar form of Roman Torchwick walked into view. His face held the same cocky grin as ever, as he looked out at the Faunus. Blake felt her hands clench, in mixed anger and frustration. She couldn't do a thing to this man, not in this situation. But it was just more confirmation that something was very wrong in the White Fang...

"What's a human doing here!"

Because as one of them shouted, the Fang just..._didn't_ work with humans. It went against everything they were and did. What Adam was thinking...she didn't know. But it didn't matter right now, when her goal needed to be finding out about what their plans were.

"I'm glad you asked that question _Deerie_," the gangster replied, putting _just_ enough emphasis on that title to make it clear as an insult, "let me preface that by asking you all a question. You wonder why I'm here, when humans are the scum of Remnant, right?"

There was a confused murmur of confirmation from the new members, and a few laughs from the veteran White Fang members.

"Let me tell you something," Torchwick continued, like nothing had happened, "Humans are the _worst_. As one of them, I can say that with full confidence. After all...there is a case in point, _right _here."

At that, the man pointed to himself, making the veteran Faunus break out into laughter while the new members- and Blake and Sun for that matter -were just even more confused.

"So, standing in that place, I can see why you want us all locked up!" Torchwick waved his cane, looking out on the crowd, "But let me say this! Because I understand that, we are the perfect allies. Because _I_ know the real problem, is the dirty, rotten _humans_ who run our Kingdoms. _They_ are the ones oppressing us, forcing us to act like this. We need to work _together_ to bring them down!"

"Is he going somewhere...?" Sun whispered.

Blake just looked at Torchwick, trying to figure out his angle in this. Why would he be playing this card? It didn't make sense...

"After all, the governments, military, hell even the _schools_ are run by the same people. The people responsible for _your_ lot in life. And they're pests that need to be dealt with," here the orangehead grinned at the audience, "And I'm the best exterminator around."

There was a moment of silence, before Torchwick coughed lightly.

"No offense to any rodents in the room."

As he made that joke, the man walked past a girl, standing off the side of the stage. In any other situation, Blake wouldn't have noticed her. Her attention was and should be focused on Torchwick. She needed to figure out his plan, after all. But that was the case...if she weren't unconsciously using the Aura detection technique Ichigo had taught her by now. Because her senses had her attention violently ripped from Torchwick, the Faunus girl's amber eyes widening behind her mask. When her senses had brushed over that girl, Blake had almost recoiled in pure shock.

Everyone had a unique...feel...to their Aura. Yang was fire, Sun was warmth, Ichigo was raw power...it was always unique. But this girl, was one that she had never felt before. Where Penny had the Faunus reacting in a similar way, it was just because she felt...odd. The girl with the strange hair and eyes, on the other hand...there was something _dark_ about her Aura. Like a black hole, her spirit felt dark on a level only below Grimm. There was something _very wrong_ with that girl. Blake couldn't even focus on her for too long, before the darkness started hurting to focus on.

What was _wrong_ with that girl?

"Blake...hey, Blake!" Sun whispered loudly, tugging on her arm, "What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, the young girl held a hand to her head, "Aura sense..."

"Aura what now?"

"It's...a long story. Ichigo taught us a special ability, I'll explain later. But that girl up there...something is wrong with her. She's _not_ a good person, even compared to Torchwick."

Sun looked dubious, even behind his mask, "She's tiny, and doesn't look like a fighter."

"Weiss and Ruby are tiny, are _they_ not fighters?"

"...point."

Turning away from her friend- and away from the mystery girl -Blake's attention was on the...massive robot...behind Torchwick. Where in the world...?

"Where'd he get that?" she whispered.

"Atlas," Sun replied, "He mentioned his 'employer' getting a few. That and something about a base in the southeast."

Blake frowned softly, "How long was I focused on the girl?"

"Long enough," the monkey Faunus replied.

A sigh came from the dark-haired girl, as she turned back to look at the stage. Torchwick was moving off it, the massive Faunus from before taking his place. There was still no way to tell what _he_ felt like, but his massive arms were spread wide, as he looked down on the crowds. Blake followed that movement, but only for a second. Her eyes were already looking for an escape route, as they had what they needed. A base in the southeast...probably outside the Kingdom. Where, she couldn't say. But that was enough to work on.

There wasn't a reason to stick around, and risk getting caught.

"We need to get out of here," she whispered.

"I know," Sun whispered back.

Unfortunately for them...

"All new recruits, come to the front!" the massive Faunus shouted out, prompting the crowd around the two teenagers to move forward.

And, coincidentally, push _them_ forward against their will. There wasn't going to be any retreating out the way they came in. If they left now, they'd just draw attention. And then their cover was blown, no matter what they did.

"What're we going to do?" her friend whispered, worry clear in his tone.

"I'm thinking!" Blake shot back.

_No going out the way we came in. No other entrances or exits are easily reachable, without being seen. If we keep moving forward, we'll be seen by Torchwick. Have to avoid that. Where can we make an escape...where can we go without being noticed as leaving..._

Even as she thought that, Sun was tugging on her arm in a panic.

"He _sees us_!"

And indeed, Torchwick had thrown his cigar to the ground. The grin he'd been wearing since the end of his speech was gone, as he started to stomp in their direction. The strange girl next to him didn't move or make any sign she had noticed Torchwick move, but that didn't matter. All it took was him seeing them...

_Wait..._seeing_ us..._

"He can't see in the dark," Blake let a grin cross her face, as she looked over her shoulder.

"Wait...what?"

Before Sun could get more out, Blake was already drawing her weapon. The blade on her sword flipped back, as she aimed directly at the fuse box, clearly marked at the end of the room. A single dust cartridge fired, the bullet slamming into the box, casting the room in pure darkness. But as Port had lectured so long ago, Faunus had _excellent _night vision. Torchwick, the only one who knew who they were before Blake had fired, couldn't hope to see them in the dark. And the White Fang were far too confused to do anything, other than panic and dash around figuring what had happened.

Tugging on Sun's arm, Blake started moving towards their one viable exit point.

"Sun, the window!"

"On it!"

The two teenage Faunus sprinted for the large window of the building, discarding their masks as they ran. Making a flying leap, they broke through the fragile glass, coming out in a roll before continuing to sprint away. They shouldn't have to worry about being followed...now...

"Blake...I think we made him mad!"

Sun's panicked shout had good reason, as the robot- presumably with Torchwick inside -_broke out of the building_ and started chasing them faster than anything that size had a right to move.

_Damn it...we need help to deal with that thing!_

* * *

**AN: And there we go. Yes, I'm waiting to do the fight with Torchwick until next chapter...this seemed like a good point to end to me, and I didn't want to push the chapter any longer than it's already waited. Hopefully it works out!**

**That being said, those 60+ reviews leave me in a position where I can't reply, simply because that'd be too long of a note. But...if that's a problem, it's one I enjoy having. I hope to see you all review again! I'll tell you, it was such a pleasant surprise to get that many.**

**Hopefully, being on break, I can get the next chapter up sooner. We'll see!**

**Also: If anyone has shipname suggestions for Ichi/Yang in the fight, now would be the time to suggest them.**


	24. Painting the Town

**AN: ARISE YE OLD FIC**

**Yeah, not much to say up here other than apologize for how long this took. I could make any number of excuses from university to work and they would be accurate. I could point out how much work I've done in other fandoms that have been keeping me fully occupied, and that would also be accurate. But honestly...the real reason?**

**Volume 3.**

**I had built my original plot along the assumption that V3 would end up being similar to V1/2. Fairly light-hearted with some new revelations here and there, built around the stereotypical anime 'tournament arc'. What we actually ended up getting was...well. I like what we got, though I know it's divisive in the fandom. There's a lot of new material and plot points that really work better than what I had planned (though this chapter breaks from the canon in a big way).**

**And having to completely redo my post-V2 plot required a _lot_ of planning and work. With V3 and now V4 out of the way, it's given me a lot of material and work done. So _hopefully_ things will get back on track. Already started working on the next chapter, for what that's worth.**

**(I'd also like to think this long wait has improved my writing style too)**

**Also, title change. Because _someone_ had the nerve to steal my title while I was away.**

* * *

**Ichigo Kurosaki**

* * *

"So…."

The glare that came his way after he said that didn't particularly surprise Ichigo. Mind you, very few things about Yang surprised him these days. At least when it came to her personality. And he knew that his statement was going to get some form of reaction out of her. It was almost funny in a way...he really did know her better than she thought. Better than he had thought he would. When exactly that had happened was beyond him, but it wasn't exactly something the shinigami would complain about either.

**"Well, the two of ya might as well be dating."**

Ichigo didn't even dignify that with a response, instead looking directly into Yang's narrowed violet eyes. His own amber didn't break from her glare at all, even as he raised an orange eyebrow.

"What? You're the one in charge here Yang, I'm just along for the ride." Ichigo continued, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned back against the wall of Junior's club. "So lead on, great leader."

"Don't think I won't punch you just because I like you," Yang grumbled without any real bite. She just paced beside her bike and ran a hand through her long hair. "Well, do you have any ideas? Your dad know anyone?"

"Not that I know of. I mean…" Here, Ichigo sighed and planted his face in his palm. And sighed again against the cool skin. "The old man may know someone that knows about Torchwick, but if he does he's never told me about it. Besides, I'm not dragging you back home any time soon."

Despite the situation, that got a teasing grin to cross Yang's pretty face, "Oh? Don't want your dad to try and flirt with me again?"

"Ew. Just...no. No no no." Ichigo shuddered, his entire body feeling a cold chill. "Damnit Yang, don't even joke about that! I did not need that image!"

All his friend did was break down into helpless giggles while Ichigo sent her a distinctly sour look. A look that probably would have worked better had they not been standing by a street corner in one of the seediest parts of Vale...at night. To say it was dark would be an understatement. It made him wonder just what Yang had gotten up to, when she went looking for her mother. If she came here, well, who was to say what else she did?

_I can't say I don't understand her though...I would do anything to get Mom back._

Scowl firmly placed on his face, Ichigo pushed off the wall and walked over to Yang. To her credit, the blonde stopped laughing almost immediately at the look on his face. Say what you would about Yang, her joking habits and horrible puns and need to tease him over...well, everything. But when things came down to it, she knew him better than anyone on their little team.

And she knew that when Ichigo scowled deeply, the situation was serious.

"Seriously, Yang," Ichigo reached a hand out to grip her shoulder. His eyes stared into her's without a single hint of humor in them. "Do you have any other ideas where to look? You know Vale better than I do, probably."

"Wouldn't have taken you for a homebody," Yang clearly couldn't resist ribbing him even now. Despite her joking words, her tone was entirely serious though. As was the look she sent him. "And no, I don't. I only went to Junior because I saw Torchwick here when I was looking for Mom. I don't know the criminals of Vale."

Ichigo grimaced at that, pulling back and running a hand through his hair, "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. Guess we have to hope that the others found something out…"

His voice trailed off slowly, the hairs on his arms sticking up. Yang had a much more subdued reaction...but even she flinched slightly. He really did need to work on her reiatsu sensing abilities, one of these days.

That could wait though.

"Blake…" Yang's whisper reached his ears with more than a little worry in her usually confident voice.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed with a nod, his serious expression looking at the distance where a pillar of purple light shot into the sky. Light that only those like him- or those he had trained -would actually be able to see. "Guess we know that works now."

"Everything you do works," Yang shot back instantly. Probably instinctively too, as she spun away from the other teenager and mounted her bike. "Come on, we need to get to her!"

The shinigami just sighed and jumped onto the bike, wrapping his arms around Yang's waist. "Just go already! If Blake is shooting up a signal flare…"

He didn't need to finish the statement. Couldn't either, since his closest friend kicked her bike into high gear and shot off towards where Blake had sent up a reiatsu flare.

Ichigo had taught all of them how to do that. It wasn't quite Aura, it wasn't quite Kido...it was something unique to the girls and himself. The most important thing about it was simple though. It took only a little energy, and could only be seen by those who knew how to sense reiatsu. It wasn't like when he used his own ability and passed it off as Aura. This was unique, special, and something that was only supposed to be used…

...if they were in life-threatening danger.

_Hang on Blake...we're coming._

**"Kingy. You know that she wouldn't use that unless there was something really, really bad."**

Zangetsu's comment echoed in Ichigo's mind as he tightened his grip on Yang's stomach. If the blonde noticed, she didn't say anything.

_"I know that. And I don't want to lose someone because I was stupid. Not again."_

Memories of red flashed through his mind. Of rain falling along the shore of a river overflowing its banks.

**"Ichigo…"**

* * *

"I see them!"

That shout from Yang wasn't necessary. Ichigo could see just as well as she could, even with her long blonde locks flying into his face. The highway they were shooting along was filled with traffic, cars that would have been familiar back in Japan surrounding them on all sides. More importantly than familiar vehicles though...was something that wouldn't have looked out of place on what he remembered of Japanese television.

A mech, rampaging after the distant figures of Blake and Sun. The trainees leaping from car to care as the mech carelessly kicked and punched aside any cars that got in its way.

_"Ichigo. You are aware how many are dying?" _The old man's voice echoed in his head. Each word punctuated by a car flying across the road.

The scowl on his face deepened at those words. Oh yeah, Ichigo knew how many people were carelessly being tossed aside by whoever was in that machine.

"Yang! I'm going to do something really stupid!" Ichigo reached a hand behind his back, clenching down on Zangetsu's hilt. The rough grip brushed against his hand, as the other arm pulled away from Yang's stomach.

"Wha…" Yang's voice was filled with confusion, even as she spun her motorcycle to the side to avoid an SUV flying directly at their faces. "Ichigo, what are you doing back there?!"

"Something stupid!" The shinigami shot back.

As he kicked down against the bike, shooting into the air. Wind flew past Ichigo's face, sending the dark blue jacket on his arms flying off. He barely paid that any mind though...flashing into a shunpo. Zangetsu's gleaming blade came out of his sheath, slicing through the air as Ichigo angled directly down for the mech. His amber eyes were completely focused on the rampaging machine. Tanginently he noted Ruby and Weiss arriving on the scene, but only through his reiatsu sensing.

The remainder of his attention never once left the mech. Not even as Zangetsu's sharp blade sliced into the machine's back, the screech of metal-on-metal echoing over the sound of gears in its limbs.

_"Oh what now?!"_

Ichigo flinched back, the familiar voice echoing in his ears. Was it because he was attached to the mech?

_Doesn't matter_.

Because his eyes narrowed in barely repressed anger, the teenager kicking back with his strong legs. Zangetsu tore free of the mech with a horrendous scream of tortured steel. Silver flashed in the night, pieces of the machine flying free. And the kick?

Ichigo had more power in his lithe body than it may appear. The combination of Zangetsu tearing through joints and Ichigo's kick through the machine off balance. One leg rose up off the ground, the other continuing forward. The resulting spin sent it grinding off the road, asphalt flying into the air around the mech as it slid into the barrier along the edge of the highway…

And right off into a freefall towards the ground far below.

**"King, that was that one bastard! The one from the port!"** Zangetsu's voice was filled with bloodlust. And Ichigo didn't even tell him off for it, diving towards where the mech had fallen instead.

_"Yes, it was. And he's not getting away again."_ Ichigo's own voice was colder than the steel of his blade.

When someone attacked his friends with the intention of killing them, they would forever earn his ire. When someone killed that many innocent people with not a care in the world for what he was doing...that made Ichigo coldly angry.

"Ichigo!"

It wasn't like it was just him either. He could see an angry look in Yang's eyes as well, the blonde calling out his name as he came to a landing by her side. Blake, Ruby and Weiss all stood alongside the two...with varying degrees of anger on their faces too.

_Sun and Neptune aren't here…_

The monkey Faunus and his blue-haired friend were nowhere to be seen. But Ichigo didn't really think about that either, instead turning his attention fully on the mech that stood imposingly across from team RWBIY.

"Did you do any damage to it?" Blake's voice was subdued, her amber eyes turning to look at Ichigo even as her weapon never left the mech. Gambol Shroud's blade barely shook despite the clear worry in the Faunus' expression.

"Nah. That thing's tough…" Ichigo clenched Zangetsu's hilt more tightly as the mech drew closer. "Teamwork time, right guys?"

"You've got that right!" Yang was quick to agree, cocking back her fists to chamber shells in Ember Celica.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Ruby, your sister is insane."

"Oh Weiss," Ruby just giggled...before her face took on an entirely serious- and entirely unlike her -expression. "Let's do this. Freezerburn!"

Ichigo couldn't resist rolling his eyes, as he jumped into the air. Yang winked at him while she did the same, her fist cocked back. Beneath the shinigami and brawler, Ruby and Blake flew backwards as Weiss brought Myrtenaster down to the ground. The tip pierced the concrete beneath the Schnee heiress...ice spreading out from the point of impact, coating the ground in a massive circle around RWBIY and the mech. Ice that Torchwick stepped right towards, seemingly unable to realize what was coming.

**"Or he's just that damn cocky. Think we should beat that out of him?"** Zangetsu practically licked his lips at the thought.

Ordinarily, Ichigo would have shuddered at the feeling. Right now?

He was in full agreement with his blade.

"Go!" Yang's shout brought his attention away from his inner world, and back to the real world.

Right as her fist, wreathed in flames as he had taught her, slammed into the ground. Weiss' ice circle became thick fog that surrounded the area, the flickers of human forms darting to and fro inside it. Ichigo watched that, and the mech sprouting laser sights, from the air. His position was as the eyes in the sky in this plan…

Something that allowed him to see Ruby lancing forward at Torchwick out of the fog.

_Now!_

"Checkmate!" Ruby's cry was both the cue for Weiss and Blake to combination-attack the mech, and a distraction to keep the enemy looking at the ground.

The white and black members of the team darted from cover, fog sliding off their bodies like water as Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud sliced into the legs of the mech. Sparks flew from the points of impact, Weiss pulling back with a pirouette while Blake moved in front of her, the wide blade of her 'sheath' grinding against the tough metal of the Atlas-built machine. And as Blake jumped back, Weiss moved forward, jabbing and twisting her rapier at Torchwick.

Despite the power behind the blows, the mech was unscathed save for gouges along the hardened legs.

At least, untouched from the girl's weapons.

"Getsuga…"

Ichigo had no such problems, lancing out the sky with Zangetsu gleaming in the shattered moonlight. The sharp blade of his Zanpakutō cleaved directly through the protruding backpack of the mech, stabbing through the metal like it wasn't even there. Blue light shone along Zangetsu's blade and through the hole in the mech, Ichigo wearing a fierce scowl on his face…

"Tensho!"

As he fired off his signature attack. A groan of tortured steel rang out, Zangetsu pulling free of the mech. The entire shoulder-mounted weapons of the machine were vaporized in a roar of fire, the combination of the Getsuga and the apparent missile pods going off at once combining to ruin it.

And yet, Ichigo was forced into another shunpo. The world blurred around him, Torchwick's mech attempting to smack him from the sky as he flashed away. His feet impacted the ground, skidding along the surface while sending pieces of concrete flying.

"Blake!" Ruby's voice echoed in his ears as he stabbed Zangetsu into the ground to arrest his momentum. "Ladybug!"

Red and black flashed forward, Ruby and Blake's speed allowing them to get inside the mech's guard, the machine unable to keep up with their rapid-fire slashes and stabs. Pieces of damaged metal fell away with each and every stab, the mech stumbling around as Torchwick attempted to get a bead on either of the girls hitting him.

Something made more difficult by Weiss using her glyphs to speed Blake up, while a black rune appeared beneath the mech's left foot. A grim smile crossed Weiss' face when she saw that...a smile that was one borne of long experience in training to use her glyphs more creatively.

"Checkmate…"

The Heiress whispered that under her breath. Her arm snapped the point of her silvery rapier to the side, and the mech's leg followed the movement. The limb snapped out so fast it nearly clipped Blake, forcing the Faunus to jump back. It was a sign of how much the team worked together that she didn't snap at Weiss for that. No, Blake just cast her amber eyes at Ichigo, as Torchwick struggled to right his mech. The limb that had been torn aside by Weiss sparked, grinding gears making the damage it had taken clear.

"Hey, Ichigo!"

It wasn't Blake who called out to him though. The bubbly voice could only belong to Yang, her powerful legs pushing her across the battlefield and towards the smoking rear of the mech.

Which meant…

"Strawberry Sunrise!" Ruby's clear voice echoed over the sound of the tortured mech.

And over the groan that came from Ichigo at that combination attack name. Goddamnit Yang…why in the world they had to pick a name like that was beyond him. They shouldn't have picked one that had to have that fruit in it!

_"Ichigo, now is not the time."_

His wise blade was correct as usual. Pushing down his scowl, Ichigo flashed into shunpo. Reappearing next to Yang, the teenage shinigami reached down and grabbed her wrist with his own hand. A fierce grin crossed the blonde's face, and despite himself, across Ichigo's own. Name aside, this move was special. His arm pulled back, all the strength he had in his body coiling in that one limb. Every bit of power he could safely use was concentrated in one smooth movement.

Pull back. Aim.

And throw!

"Whoo hoo!" Yang's cheerful shout rang out, the blonde lancing forward like a spear. Her fists were wreathed with fire, and aiming directly at the mech. "Take this you big piece of scrap!"

The impact, a resounding 'clang' echoing out from where Yang hit, was excessive. Her powerful punch- further increased in power by Ichigo's own energy -crumpled the metal of the mech from the point of impact out. Rivets and welds popped and snapped. Pieces of metal flew into the air. Joints shattered and twisted in ways they had never been designed to do.

And Torchwick went flying out of the disintegrating machine, rolling across the ground with muffled curses.

"Come on…" the man grumbled, sounding more annoyed than anything else when he came to a stop. Pulling himself to his feet, the criminal stared at the team of students gathering in front of him. His eyes looking directly at Ichigo, Zangetsu pointed at his throat. "I just got this thing cleaned, you know!"

"You'll have a lot more to worry about than a suit!" Yang was quick to snap back, her fists already cocked back and ready to punch that smug smirk in.

Ruby nodded with her sister's words, Crescent Rose held in a ready-stance, "Yeah! You're not going to get away this time Torchwick!"

Despite the array of weapons pointed at his face, Torchwick remained annoyingly smug. The man casually reached down to pick up his cane from the wreckage all around him. He touched the rim of his hat in a casual bow. One that spoke of how little he cared about the people in front of him.

"Ah ah ah," Torchwick's voice was filled with his usual arrogance. "I'm afraid I can't do that ladies and...gentleman." The delay before talking about Ichigo was accompanied by a hint of disgust in the older orangehead's voice. "Neo, if you would?"

_Neo?_

As soon as that thought went through Ichigo's mind, a short little woman appeared in front of Torchwick. A woman with mismatched hair and eyes, holding a frilly umbrella instead of any sort of weapon.

_"Ichigo!"_

A woman who felt **dark** when Ichigo focused his senses on her to try and get a bead on how strong she was. Dark enough to elicit that cry from the usually unruffled Zangetsu, the Quincy side of his blade normally calm and collected. And Ichigo couldn't blame him for that reaction...there was something very, very wrong about that woman. He couldn't put a finger on it.

But he instinctively wanted her gone.

"Getsuga…"

Even as he charged up an attack though, Ichigo let his energy fade away. Torchwick's smirk at him made it clear the man knew why he did as well.

"Get back here!" Yang didn't, however. She raced ahead of the rest of the team, her fist cocked back for a fierce punch.

A punch that never connected. The crack of Ember Celica rang out, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Torchwick and the woman by his side fell apart like a cheap mirror.

"Wha...where did they go?!" A frustrated cry came from the blonde brawler, as she spun around and looked for the criminals.

Only to snap her head around when the roar of jet engines got her attention. A Bullhead flew away in the distance, somehow having avoided detection and snuck the two crooks aboard. Just like at the port...Torchwick got away in the air. He escaped without any wounds or any lasting damage done to him, just to his partners in the White Fang. The man was a regular karma houdini, wasn't he?

Of course, there was a reason for that…

"Ichigo, why didn't you attack?" While Yang continued to glare at the retreating aircraft, her younger sister sidled up to the shinigami. Ruby's silver eyes were filled with nothing but honest concern as well.

Something that had Ichigo sighing heavily, a shaking hand returning Zangetsu to the sheath across his back. "Look around us, Ruby."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Ruby's voice was filled with confusion, her eyes scanning the area around the team. And widening with realization as her mouth formed the shape of a large O, "Ohhhhhh...the highways!"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, the highways. If I missed them, I would have taken enough pillars down that I might have killed someone."

And as the rest of the team joined back up with him, Ichigo had only one thought in his head.

_Enough people had already died that night…_

* * *

"I am both proud and disappointed in all of you."

Professor Ozpin's glasses did very little to hide the expression in his grey eyes. The Headmaster had called RWBIY to his office the very next morning after they had returned. Ichigo had been the only one to really expect that to happen. Ruby and the others? They had seemingly been convinced that Ozpin didn't know what they had gotten up to. Or that he wouldn't call them.

The shinigami knew better.

"Put Prof!" Yang was quick to protest, of course. "We found a White Fang base! And Torchwick!"

Ozpin only raised a single eyebrow, "Oh? And you also caused much damage to the central highway system, in addition to causing a commotion across Vale."

"I apologize profusely, Headmaster," Weiss cut Yang off before the hot-headed blonde could get her steam up. The heiress, drawing on her own training and experience was quite formal when she bowed towards Ozpin. "We had not planned on such...extreme...conditions occurring. We were merely attempting to find more information on what the White Fang have been up to in Vale."

"I assumed as much," the Headmaster inclined his own head in a sign of respect for Weiss' words. "However, that does not change the fact that you left campus without permission- at night -once again. I won't punish you this time, since you did prove yourselves against the Paladin. I do request you come to one of your professors first, however, if anything else comes up."

Those words got a nod from Weiss, a grumble from Yang, and slumped shoulders from Ruby and Blake.

Ichigo just sighed, "I told you this would happen."

"Not helping!" Yang whispered at him, turning her violet-eyed glare on the unrepentant shinigami.

Only a twitch of his lips betrayed any amusement from Ozpin, "I believe you should listen to Mr. Kurosaki on this subject, Miss Xiao Long."

Yang didn't exactly look happy to be chastised like that. Her face bore a scowl remarkably similar to Ichigo's own in fact. But the blonde still nodded reluctantly anyway. Ichigo knew he was going to face hell over that later. For now though...well, for now they would have to listen to what Ozpin had to say.

As it would turn out, not very much.

"Now, I believe there is a dance that you volunteered to plan." The headmaster got up from behind his desk, his cane clattering against the floor as he walked around the large glass table. "Run along girls, I am quite eager to see what you have in mind."

"The dance!" Ruby held her hands to her cheeks, silver eyes widening in a mix of shock and worry. "I completely forgot about the dance!"

Weiss sighed heavily as a petite hand reached up to pinch at her brow, "Honestly, Ruby, you're the leader…"

"But everything that happened made me forget!"

As the girls argued amongst each other, Ichigo stared at Ozpin. The man's grey eyes remained locked on him, and not anyone else.

"Just the girls?" Ichigo's voice cut through the brewing argument. The rest of his team turned to look at him and the headmaster, as Ozpin nodded ever so slightly.

"Indeed. Mr. Kurosaki, I believe you and your father have something to tell me. As I have something to tell you."

Ichigo sighed, "Well, that explains why I feel Goat Chin hiding behind that dresser."

Ozpin's lips twitched, "Hm. Now, the rest of you should prepare for the dance." Those words were directed at the female members of the team, the headmaster directing his gaze at Ruby in specific. "Don't worry, Mr. Kurosaki will be along shortly."

While each and every one of the girls- even Weiss, surprisingly enough -looked ready to argue the point...none of them did. While the rest of the eclectic staff at Beacon couldn't corral such vibrant personalities so easily...Ozpin was not like his staff. The Headmaster had a certain air around him that none of them, not even Glynda, did. When he told someone to jump, they jumped. When he told them to leave...well, they left. They sent Ichigo worried looks as they did so, but the girls still left.

It was only once the last of them had vanished into the descending elevator, that a serious looking Isshin Kurosaki moved out from behind the aforementioned dresser. The former Captain was wearing his old uniform, with Engetsu prominently displayed on his belt.

**"This is serious, Kingy."** Zangetsu sounded more concerned than anything.

A feeling that Ichigo felt as well, "So, what's up?"

Ozpin pushed his glasses up. His eyes looked between both Kurosaki men, unreadable and completely and deadly serious.

"Tell me...what's your favorite fairy tale?"

* * *

**AN: Like I said above...rather large break in the canon here.**

**I have no idea how many people are still here and reading. If you are, drop a review and let me know! I'd like to see that my fans are still around, though I would understand if people ran off to greener pastures, so to speak. If you do still read and do like the chapter, let me know at least though. I worry when a long break like this happens...**


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